Starting Over
by Shortgirl007
Summary: Story of what happens after Ten Big Ones.
1. Ch1 Back to the beginning

**__**

Fair warning: May or may not contain smut, probably will eventually. If you are a die hard Joe fan, this isn't the story for you. This will also contain spoilers for Ten Big Ones. Thanks for everyone still reading!

Starting Over

Chapter 1

While Ranger and Sally continued to discuss the importance of using an Uzi as an appropriate accessory, Joe grabbed Steph by the hand and pulled her to the side. Stephanie could see the look of fear in his eyes; it seemed to match her own. He gently placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled her close to his body.

"Thought I lost you for good that time cupcake."

"Me too Joe."

"I don't ever want to be that scared again. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you for good. I don't think I could handle that."

Stephanie began to reply, but Joe stopped her by placing a finger on her lips.

"I was going to do this later, but I don't see the point in waiting now. I don't think we should waste one more second of our time." Slowly he lowered himself to one knee. He opened the small velvety box and lifted it towards Stephanie. "Cupcake, I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, and I want to start that now. I don't want to loose you ever again. Will you please do me the honor of marrying me?"

Stephanie wasn't sure if it was the emotions caused by the nights events, or if it was real love, but no matter what the reason, she said yes. When she revealed her answer, Joe leapt from his feet and whisked her into a giant bear hug. The other officers standing nearby began hooting and hollering with joy, while a few others began exchanging money. When Joe finally let Stephanie settle on her feet she turned around, only to see Ranger's black SUV speeding away from her down the street.

---------------------

**__**

2 years and 9 months later…

Stephanie Morelli glanced around the room to make sure everything was in place. The table was set, the lights were low and music was playing softly. She glanced at the clock, 6:45. Only a few more minutes and Joe would be sweeping through the door. She gave the pasta one final stir before heading over to the couch. She grabbed up the photo album she had been thumbing through and continued to think about the past.

She ran her thumb across a picture of her and Joe. Grandma Mazur had taken it the night of the Slayer incident. As soon as they left the scene that night, Joe insisted on heading to their family's house to break the news. Still slightly in shock, Steph had agreed. Her mother took the news wonderfully and immediately began planning the wedding. Her grandmother went straight to the bathroom to grab her backup supply of condoms and presented it the couple as an engagement gift.

****

Frank, being his calm self as usual, rose from his recliner to hug Stephanie. Once he had shaken Joe's hand, he turned back and firmly planted himself in the big ugly chair.

Things went almost the same at Joe's house, with the exception being that Joe's Grandmother predicted lots of babies instead of handing out birth control.

****

That night had been 2 years and 6 months earlier. They decided that same day to have a quick wedding. Nothing too fancy, just friends and family which of course meant half of the burg was invited.

****

Stephanie continued to flip through the photo album and paused on their wedding photos. It had been an almost perfect day. The church was decorated beautifully and Joe had looked more handsome than ever. The only bad moment in memory had been the look on Ranger's face when Stephanie walked back down the isle with her husband. No one other than Stephanie would have realized there was emotion behind those dark Cuban eyes. But she knew differently. She was nearly burned from his stare that day. Once she saw the look he held for her, she had nearly wished she hadn't invited him.

She hadn't even know until the day before whether he was going to attend or not. Stephanie wanted to make sure she didn't see Joe before the ceremony so she spent her last night as a single gal in her old apartment. The lease was ending soon and she actually welcomed the chance to give it one last goodbye.

She had finally calmed her nerves enough to fall asleep when she jerked awake with a familiar feeling. She could barely make out his form, but she knew Ranger when she saw him.

"Didn't mean to wake you babe."

"Then why did you come?"

"Just wanted to talk to you before tomorrow."

Ranger walked to the bathroom and grabbed the nightlight. After the room was lit enough to make out her body, he settled softly at the foot of the bed.

"Are you coming to the wedding?" She needed to break the silence.

"Do you want me to come?"

"Yes. Ranger I consider you one of my best friends."

"I feel the same way about you babe." He paused to stare in her eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"If by that you mean marrying Joe, then yes. He makes me happy."

"That's what I wanted to hear." He quickly rose from the bed and unplugged the nightlight. He stopped when he approached the doorway. "Stephanie, if at any point you change your mind, I'll be there to help you."

"Thanks Ranger, but I'm not going to change my mind."

With her words, he slipped from her bedroom and for the last time he let himself out of her apartment. That interaction was the last she had with Ranger for nearly a year after the wedding.

****

When they had returned home from the honeymoon, Stephanie quit working at Vinnie's and took a job at one of the local factories. It wasn't ideal, but she made it work. Joe made good money with the police so Steph only worked part-time through the week. During her free time she took some classes at the local community college. There, she learned to cook without burning, and to sew without stabbing herself. Within the first year of her marriage she had settled comfortably into the role of burg-housewife.

****

About a month after their first wedding anniversary things began to change. Joe was given a promotion at the station, which caused him to work longer hours. There were days when the two of them would only see each other long enough to say hello. They went from having sex daily to once a week, then eventually once every couple of weeks, until finally only having sex once a month.

It was around that same time, when Stephanie once again found herself alone on a Saturday night. Joe was working undercover on a case so she wasn't even able to call him. She tried calling Mary Lou to come over but she and Lenny had plans. So she settled on the couch with a carton of ice cream and began flipping through the TV channels. An hour later, Steph's cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Can I speak to Richard?"

"You must have the wrong number. There is no Richard here."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"No problem."

After she clicked the phone off she began fiddling with it. She had been unable to find anything to watch on TV so she resolved to clean out the telephone book on her phone. She stopped instantly when the arrow landed beside the name "Ranger." It had been over a year since she had talked to him and she hadn't realized until then, how much she missed him.

She toyed with the idea of calling him before finally building the nerve up to hit the send button.

"Be voice mail, be voice mail." She chanted as her courage seeped from her bones.

"Yo."

"um.."

"Talk."

"Um. Ranger?"

Silence. "Steph? Is that you?"

"Um. Yeah. How are you Ranger?"

"I'm good. How are you? Is something wrong?"

"No, no. I was just cleaning out my phone and ran across your number. Just thought I'd give you a call. I'm not disturbing you am I?"

"Not at all, just surprised to hear from you is all."

"Well I sorta surprised myself by calling. So Ranger how have you been?"

"Good."

Stephanie laughed. "I still see you are doing the one word answers."

Ranger laughed as well. "Guess I am. So how have you been?"

"Pretty good. Joe got a promotion so he's been working a lot lately. But things are going good."

"You already said good, babe."

Stephanie blushed at the sound of her old nickname. Just hearing the word brought back so many emotions for her. Caught up in the moment she blurted out, "I've missed you."

"Missed you too babe." Ranger said before she could take it back.

"Well I don't mean to keep you Ranger, I'm sure you have other things to do than waste your time on me. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Take care."

"Hey Steph?"

"Yeah."

"Want to grab some lunch tomorrow?"

"I'm married Ranger." She blushed again, realizing how stupid that sounded.

"Don't worry Stephanie, my poaching days are over. So how about it?"

"Sure, that sounds nice actually."

"Hey, I can be nice sometimes remember?"

"I never forgot Ranger."

"Good. Shorty's at 1:00 tomorrow sound ok?"

"Sounds good." She clicked the phone off before she embarrassed herself again.

The following day Stephanie and Ranger met for lunch. They talked about old times, and new times. They discussed Ranger's recent skips and Stephanie's college classes. They laughed and for the first time in over a year Stephanie felt whole again.

When they left the restaurant, Ranger gave her a smile and sent her own her way. A month later, they met at Shorty's once more. Their monthly lunch date quickly became a routine and for the first time since the wedding Stephanie once again felt she had a friend.

--------------------

The sound of Joe's truck door slamming close startled Stephanie out of her daydreams. She closed the photo album quickly and jumped from the couch running her hands over he skirt to smooth out the wrinkles. She placed a hand on her stomach and said, "Here goes kiddo, time to introduce you to your papa."

Just as the words left her mouth, Joe stepped through the front door.

"Hiya Joe, how was your day?"

For a few minutes Joe didn't reply. Stephanie was about to repeat herself when he finally spoke. "Stephanie. We need to talk."

-------------------

**__**

Joe's serious look caused a streak of pain to sear through Stephanie's body. She remained quiet as his hand guided her to the couch. As he settled next to her, he grabbed her hands and peered into her eyes.

"Stephanie, this isn't working. You know it and I know it. You've changed, and I've changed and we've grown apart. I think we need to take a break."

The tears came immediately and Steph found it nearly impossible to form words. "What do you mean, a break?"

"Stephanie, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to do it." He stood up and walked to the other side of the room.

"I'm not in love with you anymore. I've met someone else, and I want to be with her."

Joe kept talking but Stephanie's world quickly began to blur. She could see him talking but she could no longer hear him. The words kept ringing over and over in her head. _"I'm not in love with you anymore…." _Her body went numb and she remained motionless until Joe nearly yelled her name.

****

"Stephanie. Are you listening? I said I will leave tonight and you can stay here. You can pack your stuff up tomorrow and then go to your mom and dads. I think this will be for the best." Joe walked around the couch and slid his jacket back on. The last sound Stephanie heard him make was the clicking of the deadbolt lock sliding into place.

****

Continued in Chapter Two…


	2. Ch2 The Move

__

"Stephanie. Are you listening? I said I will leave tonight and you can stay here. You can pack your stuff up tomorrow and then go to your mom and dads. I think this will be for the best." Joe walked around the couch and slid his jacket back on. The last sound Stephanie heard him make was the clicking of the deadbolt lock sliding into place.

****

Starting Over

Chapter 2

The sound of the deadbolt startled Stephanie into reality as Joe's words kept playing over and over in her head. As every bit of strength slid from her body she shrank to the floor, landing on her knees. She placed her head in her hands and gave into the tears.

She told herself that this had to be a mistake. Joe wouldn't really leave her like this. He wouldn't really give up on their marriage this quickly. Or would he? As the realization of being alone in the house crept into her mind, the fact that he did indeed do this stung like a fist.

Stephanie remained curled in the floor crying uncontrollably for nearly two hours. She would have stayed there for the entire night if the alarm on the smoke detector hadn't buzzed her awake. She jumped to her feet and ran to the kitchen, where she found the pasta smoking like a freight train. She had kept the pot on simmer to keep it warm for Joe but had forgotten it as soon as he walked through the door. She grabbed the handle of the pot and looked at the charred mess. Staring at the blackened remains of her romantic meal, Stephanie was overcome with anger. This wasn't how this night was supposed to have turned out. This was supposed to have been the beginning for them. A new start. A chance to recapture what her and her husband once had. But instead of starting a new family together, Joe had ripped that dream from her.

Stephanie gripped the burnt pot tighter then with all over her might she tossed it at the dining room table, sending dishes, glasses, and table decorations across the room. She let out a primal screen as she tried to calm her now shaking hands.

"Get a grip Plum. You've been here before. You've dealt with a cheating husband once, so now, you'll just deal with it once again." Stephanie willed herself to calm down enough to form a plan.

__

"…and then go to your mom and dads."

She glanced around the kitchen and realized everything she saw reeked of Joe. She knew she wasn't going to be able to stay in that house one more night, so she reached for the phone and called the first person that came to her mind.

"Yo." answered the groggy voice.

"Ranger, it's Stephanie. I need help. Can you come to the house?"

"Be there in 10. You ok?"

"No. Hurry Ranger."

Stephanie disconnected the phone then headed upstairs to pack her clothes.

--------------------------

Exactly seven minutes later Ranger stepped through the front door of Stephanie's house with his gun drawn. He glanced around the room looking for clues to help him identify the situation. He peered into the living room and when he was sure it was clear he made his way into the kitchen. He stopped cold when he saw the dining room table. He thought to himself that the mess before him was proof of a struggle. His heart skipped a beat and he sped up his motions as he moved toward the stairs.

When he was halfway to the second floor he heard her whimpers coming from the bedroom. He took two steps at a time until he reached the doorway. With his gun in hand, he ran through the door looking to stop whatever was happening. But instead of finding an intruder, all he found was Stephanie laying in a shivering mass on the bed crying as if she would never be happy again.

Ranger tucked his gun in his jeans behind his back and ran to Stephanie's side. He gathered her up in his arms and began checking her for injuries.

"Stephanie, I'm here now. What's wrong? Are you hurt? Injured?"

She sniffed away the tears in an effort to speak. After a few seconds of trying, she was able to choke out the words. "Joe left me."

Ranger didn't speak; instead he squeezed her tighter and began to slowly sway her back and forth.

"Shhhh, babe. It's ok."

He gently massaged her back as he lightly ran his fingers through her hair. She cried in his arms for nearly an hour with him whispering soothing words of encouragement in her ear.

When she finally pulled away from him, he hesitantly let her go. She didn't speak as she rose from the bed and walked to the bathroom. When she reemerged a few minutes later her face was newly washed and she was holding a tissue to her eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess Ranger. I had calmed down before I called you, but then I came up here to pack and saw all of his clothes. I just sorta lost it again."

"Don't apologize Stephanie. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. I'm just glad I could be some comfort to you."

"You are Ranger, but that's not what I called you for."

Ranger felt a streak of disappointment flow through his body as he waited for her explanation.

"Joe's kicking me out of the house. Technically it is his, since his aunt left it to him so I suppose he has the right. He said he would stay somewhere else tonight and I could pack and leave tomorrow. I just don't think I can stay here one more minute. I was wondering if you could help me get my things together and get out tonight."

Ranger didn't flinch. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed a series of numbers.

"Hey it's me. Need some help. I need you to get the trucks and bring them over to Steph's house. Also, find as many men as you can and bring them along too. What? No, bring _all _the trucks."

He snapped the phone closed then looked up at Stephanie. "We'll have you out of here within an hour."

"Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't have called you."

"You'll never have to worry about that babe."

They sat quietly on the edge of the bed for a moment, until Ranger finally asked. "Where are you planning on going?"

"Oh God Ranger. I don't know. I haven't even thought of that. I guess I can go to mom and dads but I'm not sure where to store my stuff. Those storage building places are probably all closed by now."

"Don't worry about that. We have some empty storage room at the Rangeman building. You are welcome to use it for as long as you need. As for your parents, are you sure you can handle them right now?"

"No. But I have nowhere else to go."

Ranger was about to respond to her when he heard the trucks pull up outside. Stephanie walked to the window and glanced into the street. Parked in front of the house were 4 of the largest, blackest, Ford trucks she has ever seen. And walking up to her front door was 8 of the largest men she had ever laid her eyes on.

-----------------------

Four hours later the entire contents of Stephanie's belongings were loaded securely on the Rangeman trucks. The men loaded everything she had pointed to, the dining room table she had been given by her mother, the bookshelf from the bedroom her father had made her, and even the dishes her Grandmother had passed down to her on her wedding day.

Stephanie took one last look around the house and was satisfied that nothing of hers remained. Later she may realize she was being irrational, but at this moment all she could think of was leaving Joe with nothing of her own. If he didn't want her as a wife, she was going to make sure he wasn't going to have any other part of her as well.

"Ready babe?" Ranger said as he stood behind her on the front walkway.

"Yeah." Was the only thing she could say?

Ranger loaded her into his truck, then walked back to speak to Tank. They talked for a few minutes before he joined Stephanie in the vehicle. Ten minutes later the caravan of vehicles pulled into the Rangeman garage.

Stephanie looked to Ranger for answers, but he only shook his head at her and explained. "For as long as you need it. Don't think about it right now though, just stay here tonight and when you get your head straight again you can decide if or when you want to leave."

Stephanie was too emotionally drained to argue with him. Instead she allowed him to prop her body against his as he walked her to the 7th floor apartment.

As they entered the living room, she instinctively headed for the couch. Ranger left her to her thoughts and headed downstairs to help the men unload her belongings into one of the storage rooms.

When he returned to his apartment 30 minutes later he found Stephanie sitting in the same place he had left her. He was on his way to comfort her when he heard someone walk through his front door. He glanced around to find a frowning Tank holding a bottle of whiskey. With a nod, Tank walked to the kitchen for glasses. Ranger settled on the couch next to the fragile woman now sharing his apartment.

Tank joined the couple moments later carrying 3 small glasses and the bottle of liquor. None of them spoke as Tank filled the cups. He handed one to Ranger, kept one for himself, and then slid the last towards Stephanie. "Figured you could use this Steph."

Stephanie didn't move for a moment, then finally leaned forward grabbing the glass and pulling it towards her mouth. Just as the warm liquid hit her lips, realization of the situation hit her. She jerked the cup away from her mouth and placed it back on the table. Both men looked at her with confusion.

"I forgot. I can't have this."

It only took a few seconds for Ranger to read her thoughts. When he understood what she meant he tossed back the remaining liquid from his cup then asked Tank to give them some privacy. Without question, the large man sprang to his feet and headed out the door.

When he heard the latch fasten, Ranger turned back towards Stephanie and asked softly, "How far along?"

Her big brown eyes looked at Ranger without emotion. One single tear slid down her cheek as she answered him. "Six weeks."

__

Continued in Chapter 3


	3. Ch3 What Now?

__

It only took a few seconds for Ranger to read her thoughts. When he understood what she meant he tossed back the remaining liquid from his cup then asked Tank to give them some privacy. Without question, the large man sprang to his feet and headed out the door.

When he heard the latch fasten, Ranger turned back towards Stephanie and asked softly, "How far along?"

Her big brown eyes looked at Ranger without emotion. One single tear slid down her cheek as she answered him. "Six weeks."

****

Starting Over

Chapter 3

As soon as the words passed her quivering lips Stephanie collapsed on the couch in tears. Moments later Ranger surrounded her with his strong arms. He gently stroked her hair as she wept against his chest.

When her cries had slowed Ranger softly asked, "Does Joe know?"

"No. I only found out this morning, but I was going to tell him tonight."

Ranger didn't know how to react or respond. All he knew was that he was suddenly in a situation he knew he wasn't ready for.

-------------------

The next morning Stephanie slept until noon, and the only reason she woke up then was because Ella was gathering dirty clothes from the apartment. Stephanie kept her eyes shut tight, not wanting Ella to discover she was awake. The last thing she wanted was to have a conversation with anyone.

When Ella finally exited the apartment, Stephanie struggled from bed and headed to the bathroom. She refused to look in the mirror, so she relieved herself then quickly headed back into the safety of the bed.

Six hours later she was once again awakened from a deep sleep. This time it was at the hands of Ranger, or specifically his fingers. He grazed her arm gently while whispering, "Steph. Wake Up Steph."

Stephanie opened her eyes slowly then rolled onto her back to meet his stare. She didn't speak.

"Stephanie, are you ok? Have you stayed in bed all day?"

"I'm fucking fine Ranger. My husband knocked me up, then ran off with another woman, what makes you think something would possibly be wrong?"

Ranger's face hardened and he didn't respond. He turned quickly and left the room.

Stephanie rolled back onto her stomach and fell back into the numbness of sleep.

The next 4 days went the exact same with Ranger coming home to find her still in bed, and still in the same clothing as the previous day. He didn't know what to do, but he did know that she needed someone's help. Finally he did the only thing he could think of and set out for Mary Lou's house.

--------------------------

Mary Lou scrambled to the door with her newest born wrapped around her waist. She was momentarily shocked when she realized the identity of the visitor.

"Good Lord Ranger, is that you? It's been years since I've seen you, would you like to come in?"

Ranger was relieved that she had remembered him, and quickly accepted her invitation inside.

He took a seat on the nearby floral couch and Mary Lou sat down in a rocking chair across from him. She rocked the baby boy slowly in an effort to keep him calm. They sat in silence for a moment until she finally caved. "So Ranger, what brings you by?"

"It's Stephanie, have you talked to her lately?"

"Let's see, probably about a week ago. With her school and work, and my family stuff we don't get to talk to one another near as often as we like. Is she ok?"

"Not exactly. That's why I came here." Ranger shifted uncomfortably as he searched for his next words. "Stephanie called me five days ago and asked me to come to her house. She wanted me to help move her stuff."

"Oh no, did she do something to her back? And why didn't she just get Joe to help her move things around if she was redecorating?"

"No, nothing to her back. I don't think you're understanding me. She needed help moving her stuff out of the house. Joe asked her to move out last week."

"Oh good Lord!" Mary Lou rose suddenly and began yelling for her husband. "Lenny, Lenny!"

A chubby, funny looking man appeared through the doorway, "What is it woman?"

"It's Stephanie. Joe finally fucked up for good this time, I need to go to her, will you take Martin and keep an eye on the kids tonight?"

Lenny's expression changed from a joking one to a dead serious one in the matter of seconds. He rushed to Mary Lou's side and grabbed the now crying baby from her arms. "Of course. Go, I'll keep an eye on things here. Call me if you need anything."

Mary Lou jerked her attention back to Ranger. "Will you take me to her? I assume you know where she is."

"Yes. Do you have anything you need to take with you? I assume you'll be spending the night?"

"Probably, let me just run and grab a few things, I'll be right back."

Mary Lou darted upstairs and began tossing things into a small overnight bag. Meanwhile, Ranger and Lenny looked at each other uncomfortably. Finally Ranger broke the silence. "So that's number 3 right?"

Lenny shook his head. "Yup. He just turned six months yesterday."

Ranger took a step towards Lenny and the baby and stuck out his pinkie finger for the wiggling child to latch onto. He immediately pulled the big dark finger into his mouth and began sucking. Ranger smiled and the baby immediately began giggling. Ranger made a few more faces and the kid was rolling.

When Mary Lou returned she shook her head in disbelief as she watched the two grown men making faces at her baby. She cleared her throat slightly and Ranger jerked into focus.

"I'm all set. Shall we go?"

"Of course, take it easy Lenny." Ranger said as Lenny a manly pat on the back.

"You too Ric."

"I'll wait in the car Mary Lou."

"Thanks, I'll be there in a second." Mary Lou started at Lenny then questioned, "Ric?"

"That's what he said to call him."

Mary Lou smiled then grabbed him around the neck for a quick kiss. "Love you, I'll be home soon."

"Love you to Lou. Take care of Steph."

Mary Lou turned and headed out the door to meet Ranger.

As they drove he filled her in on the happenings of Stephanie in the last couple of days. He told her everything except for the pregnancy. He figured it was best to leave that one for Stephanie to handle.

As they pulled into Rangeman building, Ranger looked at Mary Lou and said, "Thanks for doing this. I didn't know what else to do."

"Thank you Ranger for taking care of her when she needed you. She always said you were a good friend, now I know she was right."

------------------------------

Ranger entered the apartment as Mary Lou followed close behind.

"The bedroom is through that door. She hasn't left that room in 4 days. Do you want me to go wake her?"

"No. Leave it to me. Can we have some privacy for a little while?"

"Of course. I'll head to the gym for an hour or so. Call me if you need anything at all. Stephanie knows how to use the intercom."

"Thank you."

Ranger grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator then set out for the gym.

Mary Lou cracked the door slowly allowing the light of the living room to cut into the darkness of the bedroom. She saw Stephanie's huddled mass curled on the bed. She immediately went to her, taking a seat on the edge of the mattress. The weight on the bed caused Stephanie to stir slowly into the realization that she was not alone. Her eyes jerked open and she came face to face with her best friend. Stephanie sat up quickly throwing her arms around Mary Lou's neck.

"Lou, what am I going to do?" Then the crying started once again.

__

Continued in Chapter 4.


	4. Ch4 The Real Joe

__

Mary Lou cracked the door slowly allowing the light of the living room to cut into the darkness of the bedroom. She saw Stephanie's huddled mass curled on the bed. She immediately went to her, taking a seat on the edge of the mattress. The weight on the bed caused Stephanie to stir slowly into the realization that she was not alone. Her eyes jerked open and she came face to face with her best friend. Stephanie sat up quickly throwing her arms around Mary Lou's neck.

"Lou, what am I going to do?" Then the crying started once again.

****

Starting Over

Chapter 4

Mary Lou and Stephanie remained tangled in each other until they both stopped crying.

"Tell me everything Stephanie."

Grabbing a nearby tissue Steph blew her nose before speaking. "I don't really know where to start. I mean, things haven't been perfect but they haven't been horrible either. Joe has been real busy at work lately and we've not seen each other much but I had no idea he had fallen out of love with me."

"Did he say that?"

"Yes. That's how he started actually. He said he didn't love me anymore and he knew I didn't love him either which isn't the truth. I still love him very much. In fact that night was suppose to have been a whole new beginning for us."

"How so?"

"Ranger didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what? All he said was that Joe had asked you to move out."

Stephanie paused a minute then grabbed another tissue. "Lou, I'm six weeks pregnant. I found out that morning. I prepared a whole romantic evening for us, but instead he walked through the door, dumped me then walked back out. I wasn't even able to say two words to him."

"Oh God Steph. Do you have any idea what you're going to do?"

"No clue. I think I want to keep the baby. I just don't know how that's going to be possible. I don't have a real job. I'm only working part time but that's not enough to pay rent, plus all the costs of having a child. I don't even have a place to live. I have a clunker of a car that is way past due for a trip to car heaven."

"Ok Steph let me ask this. If money wasn't an issue, would you keep the baby?"

"Of course I would, but money is an issue so what's the point of discussing it?"

"Then don't worry about it. You can come and live with Lenny, me and the kids. One big happy family. Lenny and I will help out with your medical bills, and I'm sure your mom and dad will help out as well."

"Mary Lou, I couldn't possibly do that to everyone. I'm 34 years, pregnant and I still have to depend on my family and friends for support? That's crazy. My life is so pathetic, how can even think about being selfish enough to bring a child into this."

"Stephanie stop talking crazy. First of all your situation is only temporary. You will get out there and find you a better job. Plus you will have other money coming in."

"Coming in from where? The baby fairy?"

"Are you and Joe getting a divorce?"

"Of course we are. He's probably with that other woman as we speak. Besides how could I possibly ever trust him again after this?"

"Then that's what I mean. Get yourself a kickass lawyer, and take the slimy weasel for all he's worth. You should get alimony and you will definitely be getting child support from his as well."

Stephanie thought about it for a moment. Mary Lou made it all sound so easy, but she knew she was in for probably the hardest fight of her life.

"Stephanie, does Joe know about the baby?"

She shook her head.

"Are you going to tell him."

"I have to. I just don't know how to do it... Good luck with your new life Joe, and by the way I'm having your baby."

"That's perfect Steph. He came in and dumped all his shit on you, now it's time you turn the tables on him. You've spent the last 5 days holed up in this damn apartment feeling sorry for yourself. That's not the Stephanie Plum I know. You've grieved enough for right now. You need to get a plan together; you're thinking for two now so you need to be extra strong. When this all over you can fell sorry for yourself, but first you need to make sure you're doing what's best for this baby."

"I know you're right Mary Lou. I just don't know if I'm capable enough to do it."

Mary Lou moved closer to Steph and wrapped an arm across her shoulder. "Of course you're strong enough. You are a burg girl after all. And whenever it seems like it's getting to be too much for you, I'll be there to help you."

Stephanie slung her arm around Mary Lou and closed the hug between them. "I don't know what I'd do with out you."

"You'd be fine. You may have worse taste in clothing, but you would still be fine. You are stronger than you realize Steph."

"Thanks Lou."

"No problem kiddo. This is what best friends are for. Ok, now we get serious. A really sexy Cuban told me earlier that you hadn't been eating. Is that true? When's the last time you had real food?"

Stephanie shrugged her shoulders and then Mary Lou crawled across the bed and looked at the intercom/phone. "How do you work this thing? I need to call to the gym."

Stephanie showed her what to do then waited to see what she was going to say.

"Ranger!" Mary Lou screamed at the top of her lungs.

Then for the first time in days Stephanie started laughing. Not just a giggle, but a full out belly laugh. "Mary Lou, you don't have to scream! Just talk normally."

Mary Lou blushed and was about to say something when they heard a breathy Ranger answer back.

"Mary Lou? What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"Um, no Ranger nothing's wrong, just some technical difficulties. I was just wondering, if there was any chance you could make a run to Pino's for some dinner?"

"I can't believe you talked her into eating."

Stephanie rose then shouted into the intercom, "Hey! I'm right here!"

Ranger laughed, "Sorry babe. Mary Lou call in your order and I'll go pick it up. Get me a large salad with light Italian dressing. Order whatever you want, dinner's on me tonight."

"Maybe in my dreams." Mary Lou mumbled then blushed when she realized her finger was still on the "talk" button.

Ranger tried to hide a chuckle but failed. "Be good ladies, I'll be back with food in a few."

Mary Lou released the button then faced Stephanie. As soon as their eyes met, both girls burst into laughter.

"Good God Stephanie, I forgot just how sexy that man was."

"Funny thing is Lou, I never forgot."

---------------------------

Thirty minutes later, Ranger walked through the door of his apartment carrying a large pizza and two huge bags of food. He placed them on the kitchen bar then spotted Mary Lou in the kitchen wiping the cabinets.

"Are you cleaning?"

Mary Lou hadn't heard him come in and jumped a mile when he spoke. "Good Lord, do you always sneak up on people like that? And yes I am cleaning. Stephanie is taking a shower and I couldn't figure out how to turn on your damn TV. I bet your remote control is more elaborate than Bill Gates'."

Ranger flashed her his full on smile. "I'll show you how it works after we eat. I just can't believe that after an hour with Stephanie you managed to get her to shower and eat. I tried for 4 days."

"Do you two always talk about me when I'm not around?" questioned Stephanie as she walked into the kitchen. She had changed into a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt and was scrubbing her hair with one of Ranger's thick cotton towels.

"Ready for some food?" Asked Ranger, obviously ignoring her question.

"More than ready. I realized in the shower just how famished I am."

------------------------

An hour later Ranger sat on the side chair in his living staring at the girls in amazement. "I can't believe you two ate all that food."

Mary Lou was about to speak when a tiny burp escaped her mouth.

Stephanie answered instead. "We don't all eat rabbit food like you Ranger. And besides, now I have a legitimate excuse. I'm eating for two."

Ranger laughed, "What was your excuse before?"

Stephanie reached for a leftover pizza crust and tossed it at Ranger. He ducked just in time allowing the bread to go flying past his ear.

"Smartass." Stephanie smirked.

Mary Lou watched the banter between the two of them. She knew it was obscenely early to be thinking of pushing Steph towards him, but it was painfully obvious how much he cared for her. Mary Lou made a mental note that as soon as she helped Stephanie through this mess with Joe, she would figure out a way to make Steph realize what had been right in front of her the entire time.

Stephanie took a sip of her soda then decided it was time to get serious. "Ok you two. I've been thinking about what I'm going to do."

Mary Lou and Ranger both stopped eating and studied Stephanie's face.

"Ranger, if the offer's still open I'd like to stay here if you don't mind. Just until I get back on my feet and find a place of my own. Hopefully a couple of months at the longest.

And Mary Lou, thank you so much for the inviting me to stay at your house, but we both know it's already too small for your and Lenny's baby making factory."

Mary Lou stifled a giggle.

"I'm going to go talk to Joe tomorrow and tell him about the baby. I guess I'll just deal with the divorce thing after that. Do either of you know the name of a good divorce lawyer? I guess I should go ahead and find one."

Ranger stopped her. "Don't worry about that problem babe. You can use Edward, he's on retainer with Rangeman so he won't cost you a penny. He's yours as long as you need him, so is the apartment for that matter."

"Thanks Ranger. I don't know what I would have done without you two."

"Well Steph, give me something to do. I haven't done anything except for dragging your butt from the bed."

"I was getting to that Lou. Since you didn't know about Joe leaving me, I assume the it's not hit the burg rumor mill yet. I'd like to beat Joe to the punch on that. If people find out I'm staying at Ranger's before word gets out that Joe left me, then we know what that will look like. Not that I care anymore what people around here think of me, but I know how it will upset mom. Speaking of which, I need to call her. I checked my phone messages earlier. She's not freaking yet, but she's getting close. I haven't talked to her in nearly a week. So long story short, Lou can you start spreading the news that it was Joe that left me for some skank? "

Both Mary Lou and Ranger were both beginning to have a small curve of a smile on their faces.

"I guess that just means the only thing left for me to do is find a job. Preferably one that pays well, and one that won't mind me leaving for maternity leave in six and half months from now."

Mary Lou rose from the couch and nearly tackled Stephanie. "Steph I'm so proud of you. I said you were strong enough to handle this. See! I was right." Then she turned and headed towards the bedroom. "I'm going to go call Lenny and tell him you're ok. He was worried. Then I'm going to make a few calls to some of the girls. Joe's name will be mud by morning."

When she was gone, Stephanie looked at Ranger and realized he had been staring at her.

"Proud of you babe."

"Thanks Ranger. Thank you for all you've done for me already. Just promise me that if I get on your nerves too much you promise to kick me out."

"Sure, either that or I'll throw you out of the window, just like old times."

Stephanie laughed at the thought of the old memory of Ranger finding her in his bed and threatening to toss her out.

"But there's one more thing I want to do for you Steph if you take me up on it that is. I'm looking for someone to coordinate all of the Rangeman offices. The main responsibilities would be to make sure the books are kept in order and to take care of any managerial issues that may arise. Rangeman has grown a lot in the last couple of years and I simply no longer have the time to do it all myself. You would be able to work from home and you can take off whatever time you need. Plus once the baby's born you won't have to look for a babysitter. You can bring her to the office if you decide to work there, or you can work from home. Your choice."

Stephanie was stunned. "Ranger that position sounds like it was hand made for me. You wouldn't be trying to get me back on your expense account for entertainment would you?"

"Not this time Steph. I've thought about creating this position for awhile now. You have a need, and I have a need, so it just makes sense. Besides, you have a degree in Business and you know some of what the Rangeman company does so it makes the most since that you take the job."

Stephanie rose from her chair and walked over towards Ranger until she was standing next to him. She raised her hand out in an offer to shake his. "So when do I start boss?"

Ranger rose to his feet and placed his hand in hers. "I'll leave that up to you. And don't call me boss."

"Fine. Next Monday ok for you?"

"Sounds perfect Ms. Plum. And you can call me by my street name, Ranger."

Thoughts of old times flooded back into each of their minds. Stephanie shook the images of meeting Ranger for the first time out of her head then stepped into his space and allowed her arms to roll around his waist.

"Thank you for saving me Ranger."

"Anytime babe, anytime."

----------------------------

Stephanie woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than she ever had. That was until she placed her feet on the floor and a wave of nausea swept over her. She barely made it to the toilet in time. After Mary Lou saw that she was ok she had returned home last night so Stephanie had insisted that Ranger take the bed. So when she ran from the living room through the bedroom to the bathroom, Ranger woke up with a jerk. His eyes were barely focused as he saw Stephanie rush to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

He jumped to his feet and went to knock on the door. "Are you ok Stephanie?" She didn't respond with words, but he assumed by the sounds of the dry heaving that she wasn't exactly well. He thought back to the time his ex-wife had been pregnant. She suffered through nearly three months of morning sickness. The only thing that helped her was saltine crackers and the soft motion of Ranger's hand caressing her back. He headed toward the kitchen and found the crackers. This he could give her, the touches he didn't know about.

When he reentered the bedroom he found Stephanie spread out on the bed. "Steph are you ok?"

"I think so. It just hit me so fast. Not sure what happened."

"The baby happened. Most likely it's morning sickness. Have a saltine cracker, it should help settle your stomach."

Stephanie sat up on the bed and took the package from him. After five crackers she was immediately feeling better. "Have you called Ella? I'm starving. Can you see if she will make me some eggs?"

Ranger shook his head in laughter. He had forgotten just how crazy pregnant women could be.

----------------------------

An hour and half later, Stephanie walked out the door of the apartment following Ranger to the garage. "Thanks for getting my car over here."

"Not a problem babe. Speaking of cars, be thinking about what kind you want. All Rangeman employees get a company car." Before she could argue with him he added. "It's policy babe, no arguments or I take the job offer back."

"Fine, but if my old habits return and this car gets blown up I don't want to hear one word about it. That goes for Tank as well."

"Consider it a deal. Whenever you decide what kind you want let me know and I'll get it for you."

"Thanks Ranger."

"No Problem."

They both cornered into their vehicles and headed out to start the day.

-------------------------

Stephanie knew Joe was suppose to have the day off so she headed home, or should she say Joe's home to tell him about the baby.

She pulled into the driveway behind Joe's truck and headed to the door. She slid the key in the handle and turned. Nothing happened. She tried again, still nothing happened. Apparently Joe had the locks changed. She just shook her head then rang the bell.

A minute later Joe pulled the door open quickly, speaking as he did so. "Hey cupcake you're early…." Realizing that it was Stephanie at the door he stopped quickly. "Oh Stephanie it's you, what are you doing here?"

"I've come to talk to you Joe. I have something to tell you."

Joe let out a huff of air. "Stephanie, there's nothing left to say. It's over, you need to move on with your life. You took all your stuff the other night so there is nothing here left for you."

"You're right about that Joe. There is nothing left in this house or marriage for me, but there is something you need to know."

Feeling slightly defeated, Joe opened the door further and motioned her inside. When he turned around to face her she began. "I don't know how to say this really, so I'll do what you did and just hit you with it. I'm pregnant. I found out last week, I'm six weeks, now almost seven."

Joe stood frozen in front of her not saying a word.

"Didn't you hear me Joe? I'm going to have your baby. Do you have nothing to say?"

Stephanies watched Joe's face redden as she witnessed him getting angry. "You dumb bitch. You didn't really believe I would fall for that did you? We're through Stephanie. I don't want to be married to you anymore and tricking me with a baby isn't going to make me stay. And if you are really pregnant, which I highly doubt, it's probably not even mine."

"What the fuck Joe! What are you implying? Do you think I cheated on you? That's rich coming from you. I was faithful to you every day of our marriage and you know it."

"Oh really Steph? I know it? I'll tell you what I do know. I know that you use to go to Shorty's once a month and I can only think of one person you know that goes there. I also know where you went the night you left here, and I know where you came from this morning."

Stephanie put one and one together and fury overcame her. She reached back and slapped Joe across the face with all the force she had. "Listen here you asshole. I never cheated on you. Yes I've seen Ranger, but that doesn't mean a fucking thing. He's a good friend to me and he always will be, unlike you. And how dare you put a tracker on my car. How dare you! How long has it been there?"

Joe rubbed the red place on his face where she had slapped him. "I put it on there the day before the wedding. I knew I needed to keep an eye on you. I figured you'd go back to him eventually. And boy wasn't I right."

"Fuck you Joe. I don't even know why I came here. You're right, we have both changed. I don't need you anymore, and I'll be damned if this baby will need you either."

"Real funny Steph, but I guess time will tell. If in nine months you really do have a baby, we'll give it a DNA test and prove once and for all who it belongs to."

"Fine Joe. Be that way. See you in nine months at the doctor's office." Stephanie stepped past Joe and headed towards the door. She stopped when the door opened from the outside and she came face to face with a cute little blonde she had never seen before.

"I suppose I know who you are." bitched the blonde.

"And I suppose I know who you are as well. Take my advice, run from this looser as fast as you can. And if you don't, then I guess you'll be getting what you deserve after all."

Stephanie pushed the blonde out of her way and sped to the car. She squealed tires as she headed out of the driveway and made her way back to the Rangeman building.

Ranger was in the living room working on a laptop when he heard Stephanie come through the door. He looked in her direction and jumped up when he took a look at her face. He ran to her, placing his hands on her forearms. "What happened Stephanie."

Through the tears, Stephanie explained the scene with Joe. When she was finished he could tell she was mentally exhausted. He lifted her gently and walked her to the bedroom where he placed her on the bed. "Don't think about it right now Steph. Take a nap and you'll feel better when you wake up."

Stephanie reached for Ranger's shoulders and pulled him on top of her. "Don't leave me Ranger. Please stay with me. I need you take away the pain." Then she pulled him further and her lips found his. She kissed hot and hard. Ranger stiffened then pushed his body from hers.

"We can't do this Stephanie."

"Please Ranger, just give me this. I need to feel something other than pain."

__

Continued in Chapter 5


	5. Ch5 The Mistake

__

She kissed him hot and hard. Ranger stiffened then pushed his body from hers.

"We can't do this Stephanie."

"Please Ranger, just give me this. I need to feel something other than pain."

****

Starting Over

Chapter 5

"This isn't a good idea for either of us Steph."

"I know Ranger, but I am so full of hurt right now I don't know what to do with it all. I need to feel something other than heartache."

Tears streamed down Stephanie's face as she spoke softly to Ranger. He contemplated his options before finally giving into the woman in his arms.

He gripped her body tight with his left hand while his right moved lower to shift his pants off his hips. As soon as he was free, he did the same to her. In an instant, he was inside of her. There was no kissing, no soft caresses, no words spoken out of passion. He simply took her. He wrapped both arms around her body causing her to arch into his chest. He pumped hard and fast, then slowed into shorter less intense strokes.

Stephanie's hands grabbed and scratched at Ranger's back. She searched for his face, but was unable to find it. He had his chin resting on her shoulder and buried his face in the pillow not allowing her to see what was in his eyes. When her breath began to catch he thrust his hips further and deeper than before.

She moaned softly at first, then signaled her orgasm with a spirited scream that filled the entire apartment. When her body final calmed, Ranger rolled off of her and stood beside the bed. He slid his pants up then covered her body with the comforter. He had stayed only long enough to give her release, but he didn't want it for himself, not that way at least. She was already asleep by the time he left the bedroom.

---------------------

Steph woke an hour later. Memories of the earlier events with Ranger flashed across her mind. He gave her what she asked for, but she didn't feel better. If anything, she felt worse.

She lifted her body from the bed and headed for the shower. She stood under the streaming hot water with her eyes fixated on the opposite wall. She stood there for a long time thinking of the events of the past week. She had made so many mistakes. She was just hoping the most recent mistake wouldn't cost her Ranger's friendship.

--------------------------

Ranger stood on the terrace looking over the streets of Trenton. He knew he made the wrong choice, but how could he have told her no? She was crying, and he needed to comfort her. He needed to reach out to her and take the pain away. It was what she asked for, and at the time it was the only thing he had to give her.

His body stiffened as he heard the French doors open and close. He knew it was her. Her footsteps came closer to him, and when she placed a hand on his back he jerked away from her touch.

"No Steph". His voice was filled with anger.

"Ranger I need…"

"Stephanie, I don't want to hear what you need right now. You have to listen to me." Ranger turned around to face her, his eyes dark with pain. "I won't be your pity fuck again. I won't be your rebound toy, and I refuse to be the guy you always come to for comfort when some other man hurts you. I can't do it anymore. It's not fair to me."

"I know Ranger."

"No you don't Stephanie. If you did, you wouldn't have asked that of me. I put up with that before but I'm a different person now. I did some growing up as well in the last couple of years."

"What does that mean Ranger? Do you want me to leave now?"

"No Steph, I don't want you to leave. I am still your friend, but as of right now that's all it can be. I will help you and protect you but that's where it ends. When this whole fiasco is settled we'll revisit this conversation. I won't dump all of it on you right now because that wouldn't be fair to you, but if you do decide to stay we need to come to an understanding. You can't ask me to give you something that hurts me to give. It's not fair."

Stephanie didn't know how to answer so she shook her head in agreement.

"I need to go out for awhile, I'll be back later." Ranger paused to read her reaction then stalked through the French doors and out of the apartment.

Stephanie fought the urge to return to her hiding place in the safety of the bed and went for the telephone instead. She dialed Mary Lou's number and waited. When her best friend finally answered, she told her what had happened with Joe and then Ranger. Mary Lou listened patiently and paused before she spoke to Stephanie.

"Steph, listen to what I have to say. But understand that everything I say is out of your best interest. Not out of Ranger's or Joe's, but out of yours. You are my priority, not them."

"Ok." Steph said hesitantly.

Mary Lou drew a deep breath before she began. "Stephanie, what you did to Ranger was possibly one of the stupidest, most idiotic things you have ever done in your entire life! I can't believe you did that to him! Can you not see how much he cares for you? Can you not see why he would be offended by you choosing him to rebound on? You used him to make yourself feel better be damned how it made him feel."

Stephanie's voice spoke with anger. "Hold on right here Lou. I know it was a mistake, but how was I suppose to know that Ranger would get so upset over a little sex? He was the one that always said what we give each other was free. He was the one that made sure I knew the first time that it was sex and only sex and nothing more."

"Stop it Stephanie. Your using what he said in the past as an excuse for you to act foolish. Do you not realize how much the man cares for you? Every single time you've asked for his help he's jumped to your aid. Now after more than two years and a marriage later he has welcomed you into his home with open arms. Do you think he did that just because he wanted a roommate? Of course not you knit-wit. He did that because he loves you. He's loved you for a long time now, but you've been too damn stubborn or scared to see that. And don't even bring up what happened to you two the first time around. He told you to go back to Joe because he thought that's what _YOU _wanted. And what did you do? You did exactly what he thought you would do, so I'm sure Ranger felt as if you once again picked Joe over him. He's a big strong man, but even big strong men have feelings and for some reason you seem to forget that about Ranger. You hurt him, and frankly I don't blame him for being pissed at you right now."

Stephanie let the words sink in. She knew Mary Lou was right, she had been stupid. She had been cruel to Ranger. "Oh God Lou what have I done? Do you think he's going to hate me forever?"

"He doesn't hate you Steph, he's just mad. And finally he set some boundaries for you and I think that's a good thing. It's about time you appreciated that man for the friend he has been to you all these years."

"So how do I fix this?"

"I don't know Steph. You need to think long and hard about what you want. I'm not saying you have to decide right now if you want Ranger, it's too early for that anyway. You need to deal with this Joe shit first, but you also need to ask yourself if after that's done if you want to have a chance with Ranger. If you do, then you need to start respecting him the way he respects you."

"You're right Lou. I know you are, but I don't know how to do that."

"Sure you do Steph. You aren't an evil person, you didn't hurt him on purpose. Talk to him and for once show him the unguarded side of you."

Stephanie thought deeply about what Mary Lou was saying. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but she also knew that Ranger's friendship was worth fighting for. She wasn't sure she would be able to make it through this divorce without him.

After she hung up the phone she padded around the apartment killing time until Ranger returned. She knew what she needed to do, she only hoped she had the nerve to do it.

Roughly an hour later Ranger clicked the door shut as he arrived back home. Stephanie met him in the foyer and stood eye to eye with him.

"Ranger, we need to talk."

__

Continued in Chapter 6

-------------------------------

__

I know the "we need to talk" is sometimes an overused ending… but it just seemed to fit this time. Please keep all tomatoes and other veggies to yourself until I finish the entire story. Once it's finished you are all invited to toss them at your free will. J


	6. Ch6 The Starting Over Begins Now

__

Roughly an hour later Ranger clicked the door shut as he arrived back home. Stephanie met him in the foyer and stood eye to eye with him.

"Ranger, we need to talk."

****

Starting Over

Chapter 6

Ranger eyed Steph wearily as her nervous body swayed back and forth in front of him waiting for an answer. He stretched his arm out towards the living room and said, "Lead the way."

She turned quickly and they both walked into the dimly lit living room. Stephanie took a seat on the big, puffy chair while Ranger plopped onto the sofa after placing his gun belt on the nearby table. Stephanie said a silent prayer thanking God that it when it appeared Ranger wasn't going to shoot her. She took it as a good sign.

Ranger didn't budge, blink, or squirm and Stephanie knew he could sit it that silent pose for days waiting on her, so after drawing a deep breath she spoke softly.

"Ranger, I'm not going to make any excuses for my actions. However I do have a few things I need to say to you, and if willing I hope you'll give me the chance to do so." She paused waiting for a reaction from Ranger. It never came.

"I'm going through a lot of shit right now. I can handle the shit with Morelli. I can handle the shit about being the laughing stock of the Burg. I can even handle the shit my mother is going to give me for not calling her, and for letting Joe knock me up then dumping me. But what I absolutely cannot deal with is shit between you and I. You have always been my rock. You've always kept me steady, and someone just showed me how much I had taken that for granted. For that I am truly sorry."

Once again Ranger remained stone-faced as he listened to Stephanie speak.

"I've always been a little nervous around you. I suppose I always kept thinking that if I screwed up bad enough around you, that you would eventually realize how unworthy I am of being your friend. But that kind of thinking is over. I'm starting over Ranger. Right here, and right now. I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone before, not even Mary Lou. So, if you know anything about women and their best friend's, you'll know that me not telling her is big, huge even."

Ranger's eyes squinted slightly but his lips still showed no emotion.

Stephanie paused to take another deep breath. "Ranger, there hasn't been one single day that has gone by since…. um… since that night we spent together that I haven't thought about you. I'm not exaggerating. Not one single day has gone by that I haven't wondered what you were doing or wondered where you were. I would often find myself daydreaming about conversations we use to have or laugh about some of the moments we had spent together. To this day I can still give you a complete play by play of every touch and kiss you gave me that night. It's completely burned into my brain, and every time I close my eyes that's what I see. When I was first married I felt a lot of guilt over that. It took me awhile to realize that no matter what, I would have never have cheated on Joe. I loved him and no matter what I felt for you, I wouldn't have betrayed that."

Stephanie rose from the chair and began pacing back and forth in front of the couch.

"But now I find myself all on my own once again. I won't lie and say it doesn't hurt like hell that Joe did this to me, because it does. But I've done a lot of thinking in the last four days and I realize I would rather live through this period of intense pain, then have to deal with a lifetime of less intense unhappiness. At least now I have a chance of being truly happy."

"I won't apologize for my actions earlier because I refuse to live one more day with regret. I will admit that it was a bad choice, but I won't linger on it and I hope you won't either. But I do want you to understand that I didn't ask you for sex to hurt you, or to rebound off of you, or to use you as a pity fuck. My one and only motive was to feel better. I remember how amazing sex was with you, and for a few minutes I wanted to feel that way again. I'm truly sorry if that hurt you, but like I said it wasn't my intention."

Ranger's eyes darkened slowly as his head followed every step the pacing woman made.

"You said earlier that we would revisit this conversation after I had dealt with the Joe crap. Well, I don't want to revisit it later. I want us to do this know."

Finally for the first time in the conversation, Ranger spoke. "Sure about that Steph? You could be playing with fire you know?"

Stephanie stopped the instant he spoke, but when she glanced into his eyes she began pacing once again. "I'm positive Ranger. I don't want to spend the next 8 months worrying whether or not you are angry with me, or hate me, or resent me, or want to throw me out of your window. I want us to lay everything on the table. Let's empty our decks and see what kind of hands we come up with."

Ranger stood quickly and took two giant steps toward Stephanie. In a matter of seconds he was standing nearly nose to nose with her. "Sure about this babe?"

Gulp. "Sure as I'll ever be."

"Fine. First I'm going to take a shower. You call Ella and order some food, we'll have this out over dinner."

------------------------------------------

Ranger finally rejoined Steph 20 minutes later. He found her sitting on the balcony in the evening breeze while eating what looked like a salad.

"Don't tell me you're eating a salad?"

Steph smirked at him then replied coldly, "So this is what they call a salad huh? And yes, I'm going to try and start eating better. As much as I may want to deny it, I am having a baby. I need to start taking better care of myself."

"If it's any consolation, after my ex had Sara her taste in food completely changed. She had been a health nut all during the pregnancy, but the minute after she gave birth she wanted nothing but junk food. She's still that way today."

"Well, I guess that's food for thought anyway. Your salad is in the fridge. Do you want me to come back inside, or do you mind eating out here?"

"Out here is fine, let me grab my food and I'll be right back."

Stephanie was still contemplating Rangers words 'have it out over dinner' when she was rejoined on the balcony by the man himself. She allowed herself one quick glance and noticed he was wearing silky black running pants and a gray t-shirt with "ARMY" printed across the chest. He settled into the chair next to Step's then once again waited for her to speak.

"Are you ready to do this Ranger?"

"Ready, willing, and able."

Steph was beginning to get rattle by Ranger's calm mood. He had seemed so angry earlier, and now he seemed to be back to his normal smooth self. She was beginning to fear what he had done when he left the apartment after their fight.

"Do you mind if I ask you were you went earlier?"

"Gun range. Did some practicing."

"Oh." She swallowed extra hard on the lettuce. "You weren't picturing me on the targets were you?"

"Maybe just a few times."

She could see the corners of his mouth turn slightly. Feeling mature, she grabbed a crouton and flung it in his direction.

"Anyway Ranger, can we please get down to business. I want to know what it is that you wanted to wait to tell me."

"Fine, business it is. I didn't want to overwhelm you with this because I do understand you have a lot of stuff to deal with right now, but I have made up my mind about you."

"What were you deciding on, whether to throw me out the window or shoot me?"

"Nah. I just decided that this time I'm not going to let you deny your feelings for me like you did in the past."

Steph choked briefly on a cucumber. "Excuse me? Care to explain that?"

"Sure. You wanted me for a long time. I never doubted that, but for some reason I scared you. I figured it always had something to do with Joe so I backed off for your sake. But now that he's going to be permanently out of the picture I'm not going to be so understanding."

Stephanie froze with his words. She had prepared for the worse, but now she couldn't tell whether she had just received the worst, or the best.

"See babe, this is how it is. I backed off from you completely when you got married. I respected that. But now you aren't going to be married for much longer. So I figure I give you time to have the baby, and by the time you are healed from that you should be ready to have me back in your bed."

"Wait, wait, wait. Stop right there Ranger. Do you really think that I'm just going to have a baby then usher you back into my bed? What kind of woman do you think I am? I've done the sex-for-fun thing, but that's not me anymore. I'm going to be a mother for Chris sakes. Mother's don't do that kind of thing."

"Mother or not, it is your kind of thing." Ranger chuckled.

Becoming enraged, Stephanie slammed her bowl down on a nearby table and scrambled out of the chair. "Now you listen here Manaso. I won't be your pity fuck either. I refuse to open my bed up to you only to have you push me off on someone else the next morning. That's not going to happen. That really hurt the first time you did it to me, and I won't let you do that to me again."

Ranger continued to leisurely eat his salad as he spoke. "Is that what I said Stephanie?" He said calmly. "I said I would be back in your bed, I never said anything about leaving it. I told you earlier, I matured a lot the last couple of years. My playing days are over. I'm tired of one night stands and cheap sex. I'm ready for something more. I know what I want, and for once I'm not going to make any excuses and I'm going to go for it."

Standing at the foot of his chair with her arms crossed tightly for effect she demanded, "Well what is it you want Ranger?"

"That's easy babe. You. And this time, I'm going to get exactly what I want."

Stephanie was too stunned to speak. This conversation had gone nothing like she had planned. In an effort to display her displeasure she stomped her foot on the ground before picking up her salad and returning to the nearby ottoman.

They sat in silence for what seemed to be an eternity. When he finally spoke first she felt the rush of victory speed through her body.

"Going to say anything babe?"

"Ha! You spoke first! I beat you!"

"Didn't realize it was a race?"

"Not exactly, but close. And yes I am going to speak, just trying to think of what words to use."

"Ah. Well, I'm just going to take a nap, wake me when you decide what to say."

"Don't you dare go to sleep!"

Ranger flopped his head onto the back of the lounge and tried unsuccessfully to suppress a smile.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"Never Steph."

"Well can you at least get serious for a moment. I need to respond to you."

"Then respond. I'm waiting."

"This isn't easy for me Ranger. You just rocked my world a little off balance and I'm not real sure how to react to it."

"Well first off Steph, don't think about how you _should _react. Just do it. Just tell me whatever it is you're thinking."

"Ok, I'm thinking that you are making a big mistake. I mean, I'm still married and you're saying you want to be with me?"

"Yes I want to be with you, and you are getting a divorce."

"I'm pregnant with another man's baby." She countered.

"I already have a daughter, and he merely beat me to the punch. I get dibs next time around."

"I don't have a permanent place to live so I'm practically homeless."

"You aren't homeless. You live here, which reminds me I had you some keys made and I got you an extra security switch."

"Thanks. I don't have any money."

The smirk on Ranger's face remained in place. "I have lots of money, you don't need any."

"I'm going to get really fat."

"You're pregnant that's expected, and besides I'm really going to enjoy watching your boobs grow."

"I'm going to go through terrible mood swings."

"You already go through mood swings."

"These will be worse."

"It won't matter."

"Fine Ranger, be stubborn. What is it going to take for me to convince you that this is a bad idea?"

This finally got Ranger's real attention. He swung his legs around to the side of the lounge chair and placed his hands on Stephanie's knees. "Steph, I don't care how bad of an idea this is. I don't care what Joe, or your family, or the Burg thinks of this. You make me happy. I think I make you happy as well. We've never really given each other a decent chance and I think it's about time we did. I've cared about you for going on 5 years now. My feelings for you haven't gone away yet, and I assume they never will. I know the situation is shitty now, but that will change eventually."

Stephanie placed the salad back on the table and raised her hands to Ranger's cheeks.

"Ranger I do care about you, but I saw how much I hurt you a while ago. I don't want to do that again. I'm not ready to give myself to you completely yet. I've barely been separated from my husband for a week. I don't want to rush into things with you and screw them up before we even have a chance to get started."

Ranger grabbed her waist and slide her and the ottoman between his knees. "I'm not going to pressure you Steph. All I want is for you to be honest with me. If there is no chance for us to have a future tell me now. If there is, then I'll be here whenever you are ready."

"Are you sure you can live with that because I can see a future with you, but I just can't tell you when that will be."

"I'm sure I can live with that. I can't promise you how long I can wait until I start pushing you some, baiting you here and there. But you are a grown woman, if it becomes too much for you too soon, just tell me and we will re-evaluate. Right now, all I'm asking for is a chance."

Steph leaned in until their foreheads met. She smiled slowly then said, "I think I'm ready to take a chance too."

-------------------------

When it was finally dark, Stephanie retired to the bedroom to get some rest. Ranger had work to do so he volunteered to sleep in the living room. After sleeping almost an hour Stephanie jerked awake to the sound of her cell phone.

"'Hello."

"Steph it's Mary Lou. You are _not _going to believe this."

--------------------------

Ranger was busy typing away on the laptop when he noticed Stephanie in the bedroom doorway. When her face came into focus, he realized something was wrong. She was as pale as a ghost. He quickly got up from the couch and walked to her.

"What's wrong babe?"

"Ranger, what did you mean when you said Joe was going to be permanently out of the picture?"

__

To be continued in Chapter 7…


	7. Ch7 Answers

__

Ranger was busy typing away on the laptop when he noticed Stephanie in the bedroom doorway. When her face came into focus, he realized something was wrong. She was as pale as a ghost. He quickly got up from the couch and walked to her.

"What's wrong babe?"

"Ranger, what did you mean when you said Joe was going to be permanently out of the picture?"

****

Starting Over

Chapter 7

"What are you talking about Steph? Tell me what's wrong, you're as pale as a ghost."

"Earlier, when we were talking you said Joe was going to be out of the picture permanently. What were you talking about?"

Ranger shifted uncomfortably, "Well, I meant that once you get a divorce he will no longer be between us. Was I wrong about that?"

"Are you sure that's all you meant?"

"Steph, tell me what's going on. Yes that's all I meant, why are you so suddenly worried about it?"

"Because Mary Lou just called. Joe's in the hospital, someone attacked him this afternoon."

Ranger pulled Stephanie into his arms. "I know what you're thinking, but it wasn't me. I won't lie, the thought of kicking his ass did cross my mind but I didn't do it."

Stephanie stared at Ranger as her blood pressure returned to normal. "If you say you didn't do it, I believe you. But the matter remains that someone did do it, so I need to get to the hospital."

"You're too shaken up to drive, let me take you."

Stephanie started to argue, but decided against it. She grabbed her bag and the two of them made their way to the car. Ranger squealed tires when he sped the Porsche from the garage.

---------------------------------

As the couple made their way to the 2nd floor of Trenton Memorial, Stephanie paused before entering the waiting area and turned to Ranger.

"Maybe it's best if you wait here."

"Sure thing babe."

"Thanks Ranger."

Stephanie looked back once before entering Joe's room and spotted Ranger shaking hands with Mad Dog and Carl.

She slowly pushed the door open and for the second time in one day, came face to face with the short blonde.

"Shit. Should've known you would show up."

"Excuse me? It apparently doesn't matter to you, but I am still his wife. So if you don't mind get the hell out of here and give us some privacy". Stephanie stepped towards the girl as if she was preparing for a fight to ensue.

The blonde took a step closer as well, but froze mid-movement when Joe spoke. "Crystal it's ok. Give us just a minute."

After shooting a weak scowl at Steph, Blondie turned toward the door. "I'll be back in five minutes."

Once the door closed, Stephanie turned her eyes to the man laying in the bed before her. His leg was visibly broken, his face was covered with dried blood and his nose was leaning more to the left than normal.

"Jesus Joe, what the hell happened?"

Joe chuckled softly, then grimaced in pain. "Don't bullshit me Steph. I know you sent him to the house to teach me a lesson. I'm sick of your goons always defending you."

"I don't know what you're talking about Joe. Ranger swears he had nothing to do with this and I believe him."

Joe laughed again, trying not to wince. "Should have known you would stick up for him, but you know damn well Ranger's not who did this."

"Ok Joe. Fun game you're playing here, but stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you're talking about."

"Your cousin Steph, and the fact that you sent him to 'teach me a lesson'. Of course, Carl is covering for you and says he did it on his own, but I know better than that."

Stephanie mulled over Joe's words for a moment then burst into a fit of laughter. "Carl did this to you? My Carl? The one that married my cousin? He's the guy that did this damage to you?"

"Stephanie stop the bullshit. I know you sent him to the house. I dumped you Steph, grow up and get over it."

"Don't worry Joe, that's exactly what I am doing. I just wanted to see if you were ok. I see that you are so now I'll just be going." She opened the door heading for the hallway then paused and looked back at Joe. "And Joe, what kind of name is Crystal? What is she, a stripper?"

"No Steph. She has a real job, she's a private eye."

A smile spread across Stephanie's face. "Oh how original. Well good luck, see ya in court loser."

As the door slammed shut behind her she noticed Ranger, Carl and Mad Dog laughing in a huddle in the waiting room. The men took turns laughing and patting one another on the back. Stephanie approached them slowly with her arms crossed at her chest. The laughing stopped the instance she came into their view.

Her eyes were locked on Carl. The closer she stepped to him, the further he withered backwards until he was pressed against a wall with nowhere else to go. He braced himself for the slap, punch, or hit that Stephanie was sure to send in his direction.

"Carl did you do this?"

"Ye.. yes."

"Why?"

"Because Mary Lou called the house this morning and told us what happened. I couldn't let him get away with it."

"So you decided the best course of action would be to go to his house, beat him up and break his leg?"

"Now wait a second Stephanie. Is that what Joe told you? Cause that's not what happened. I definitely went over there with that intention, but that wasn't how things went down."

Stephanie stepped closer to Carl until they were standing nearly toe to toe. "Then enlighten me. Tell me exactly what happened."

Carl flinched as he spoke, still worried about being hit. "Well um, Steph I rang the bell and when _that _blonde answered the door I stormed inside. I found Joe in the kitchen so I just walked up to him and punched him in the nose. Bob was circling his feet so when Joe was knocked off balance he tumbled backwards over the dog."

"Ok that explains his nose, but what about his leg?"

"Well, when he tripped over Bob, he smashed into the dining room table and caused it to collapse on top of him. The table edge hit him directly in the shin. His leg snapped instantly, then that's when the lasagna landed on his head."

"Lasagna? You men the red stuff on his face isn't blood?"

"Blood? Is that what he said? There might be some blood there, but when I pulled him out from under the table his head was completely covered in tomato sauce."

Mad Dog and Ranger tried with all their might to suppress their laughs, but failed miserably.

A smile crept up on the corner's of Steph's mouth. "So Carl, are you telling me that you didn't break Joe's leg?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. I broke his nose, but the rest of his injuries are a result of Bob and the dining room table."

Steph paused for a moment then lunged towards Carl, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thanks for defending my honor Carl."

After realizing he wasn't going to be attacked, Carl let his hands slide around Stephanie and pulled her into his embrace. "Anytime Steph. You are technically my cousin, and I always watch out for my family."

"You're a good man, don't ever forget that."

"You don't forget that either Steph. And remember, there are a lot of good guys out there. Joe turned out to be a rotten one, but don't let him cloud your judgment of all the others." After he spoke, Carl glanced at Ranger, making sure Stephanie was understanding his hidden meaning.

"I'll try my best to remember that Carl. Now I hate to be rude and run, but I really want to get as far away from this hospital as possible."

Ranger closed the space between them and placed a soft hand on her back. "That's were I come in babe. Let's go. Dog, Carl see you guys Wednesday. And if Morelli decides to press charges let me know, my lawyer will be happy to take the case."

The two uniformed cops nodded their heads in appreciation towards Ranger as they watched the couple step inside the elevator.

---------------------------

Stephanie stared at Ranger in the car until he finally broke. "Um, what's up Steph. You're staring."

"Yes I am. Just trying to figure you out."

"Figure out what? Ask me and maybe I can be of some help." He said smugly.

"Ok for starters, since when are you, Carl, and Mad Dog such good buddies?"

"Hmmm.. Probably about a year now. I helped them out on a case and they did the same for me."

Stephanie pondered the answer. "And what's happening on Wednesday?"

"Poker night. We get together every week to play."

"We? We as in who exactly."

Ranger glanced over at Steph and smiled silently to himself. He was glad he could still keep her guessing after all these years. "Well, me of course, Dog, Carl, Tank, Lester, Bobby, and sometimes Hal."

"And you guys have been doing this how long?"

"Probably 6 or 7 months. Normally we do it every week, but we skipped this past one."

"Why?"

"We have it at my place because I'm the only one without a family or significant other hanging around, but this past week that wasn't the case."

"Oh." Stephanie realized she had been the interruption. "I'm sorry I messed up your plans."

"Why? I'm not. I'd much rather have you in my apartment than a bunch of smelly, hairy men."

Stephanie laughed then realized they were already back at the Rangeman building.

Neither spoke while they made their way to the apartment. Once inside, Ranger headed to the couch and returned to his laptop while Stephanie went to the bedroom to change clothes.

When Steph returned to the living room she flopped on the end of the couch opposite Ranger. "Will it disturb your work if I watch some TV?

Ranger met her eyes. "Steph. You live here. Do as you would normally do."

"I just don't want to get in your way. And besides, if you would put a TV in your bedroom like a normal person this wouldn't be an issue."

"It's not an issue." Ranger paused for a moment then slide a few inches closer to Stephanie. "And normally when I'm in the bedroom I don't have time for TV."

Stephanie blushed 3 shades of red then grabbed for the TV remote. She searched for something that had absolutely no chance of containing 'adult content'. She settled on the Cartoon Network.

Ranger continued to peck away on the laptop as Stephanie laughed through two episodes of _Tom and Jerry. _After the second show was winding down, a question suddenly popped in her mind. "Ranger, is your lawyer still available to me?"

He stopped typing instantly and placed the laptop on the coffee table. "Absolutely Steph. Want me to give him a call now and set up an appointment?"

"No, it's way too late to do that tonight. Maybe you can call him tomorrow though and see when he can get to me."

"Name the day babe. I've already alerted him to the situation and he knows to make you priority #1 whenever you decide to start the proceedings."

"Thanks." His answer stirred through her mind. Too many questions formed and she felt unable to express them. Luckily, even after two years Ranger's ESP was still working well.

"Spit it out Steph."

"Spit what out?"

"Don't play with me babe. Tell me what it was I just said that made you unhappy. I can see it your eyes."

Stephanie exhaled deeply. "It's just… that I'm feeling a little pushed here."

"Pushed how?" Ranger turned his body so he was completely facing her.

"Well, you have your lawyer already on the attack. And I get the feeling that if I could have the divorced finaled tomorrow, you would be popping the question to me tomorrow night. Everything's just happening so fast."

Ranger placed his hand on her thigh and slowly began to stroke her in the most soothing motion she had ever felt. "Stephanie, I don't mean to push you. I just wanted you to have everything you need, when you need it. And if you were divorced tomorrow I honestly don't know what I would do. This has been a shock to my system as well. One day I felt like I had lost you forever, and the next I saw a glimmer of hope. I swear I don't mean to push you, and I'll do my best to give you as much room as you need. But understand I've dreamed about being with you for three years, and now that you're so close it's taking all my willpower not to devour you."

The thoughts of being devoured by those Cuban lips sent a warm wave through Steph's entire body. "Thought you didn't do the pity fuck thing?" Stephanie teased bravely.

Ranger slide his body across the couch until he had hers pinned between his broad shoulders. His lips brushed hers lightly as he spoke, "That's true, because the next time I fuck you, there will be nothing pitiful about it."

Stephanie gulped loudly and braced for Ranger's impact, but it never came. When she pried her eyes open, she watched him push himself from the couch then offer her a hand to help her up. "Up Steph. I'm sleepy and you're in my bed and don't dare tell me to take the bed. You're sleeping there. No if's, and's, or buts. So unless you want me next to you all night, I suggest you go to the bedroom now."

Being a semi-intelligent woman, she knew that sleeping next to Ranger all night would not be a wise decision. She had made enough bad ones this week, so she opted to go the smart route and allowed his strong hand to lift her from the couch. Before she closed the bedroom door she looked back at the heap of man on the couch. "Night Ranger."

"Night babe."

--------------------------

**__**

One Month Later

The past month had been full of more changes than Steph could count. She had comfortably settled into work. Ranger was right, this job was perfect for her. Every morning she headed downstairs to the central Rangeman office. For the first time in her life she was really putting her business skills to use. Ranger had given her free range on most of the day-to-day decisions and as a result things seemed to be running smoother than ever. Most days Ranger was home by 6 and he rarely needed to work more than 1 late night job a week.

Each evening Stephanie and Ranger would spend their time together. Most nights consisted of staying in the apartment, ordering food and watching TV. On occasion he would escort her out to a private little restaurant on the outskirts of town. While Joe felt the need to flaunt his new found love, Stephanie wanted to keep things quiet. Fortunately, Ranger understood her desire to maintain her privacy.

Their separate sleeping arrangements lasted for about 2 weeks, but it didn't take long for things to change. It began on a sleepless night for Stephanie. She had tossed and turned for 3 hours before she finally gave up and headed out onto the terrace. She tried tiptoeing through the living room as not to wake up Ranger, but it's hard not to stir a sleeping tiger. He joined her a few minutes later.

"Everything ok babe?"

"Yeah, just can't sleep. I'm sorry I woke you, I tried to be quiet."

"That's ok. Now why can't you sleep?"

"Couldn't get comfortable."

Ranger smirked at her then grabbed her hand and led her into the bedroom. She eyed him tentatively as he grabbed the covers and slid underneath. "Don't be a wimp Steph, I'm not going to grope you, just want to help you get asleep."

She paused for a moment then joined him in bed. He gathered her into his arms and pulled her into the safety of his body. Within minutes, they were both fast asleep. That night turned into every other night, until finally they awoke every morning in each other's arms. No kisses or caresses were exchanged, and as Steph entered her 2nd trimester she was beginning to wish Ranger's manners would wear off.

-------------------------

Exactly 8 weeks after she walked out of Joe's house, Stephanie awoke to the buzzing of the alarm. The morning she had been dreading had finally arrived. She pried herself from the bed and padded into the kitchen where she found Ranger nibbling on some toast. He was dressed in his best black, business suit and he looked like as if he just walked off the cover of GQ.

He watched her eyes roam his body and when they returned to his face he let a slight smile greet her. "Like the suit babe?"

"Something like that. Got anymore toast."

He grabbed a piece from the toaster and placed it on a napkin in front of her. "Need to eat quick. It's already 8:00 and we need to be at the courthouse by 9:00."

Stephanie swallowed the bread quickly then ran off to the bedroom to find something to wear. It was a big decision, deciding what to wear to a divorce. The wedding attire was simple, but there were no magazines called _Today's Divorcee_, or _Modern Divorced Woman_. She settled on a simple red skirt and a nice matching jacket. The fit was a little more snug than the last time she had worn it, but at least this time she didn't have to worry over the recent weight gain. For once, she had a legitimate reason to get fat.

After she was dressed and ready to go she met Ranger back in the living room. He glanced at her then his watch. "Ready to go?"

"Just about. Wanted to ask you something first."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Just wondering if you are still in that that "give me what I need, when I need it" mood?"

"Sure Steph, thought of something you need?"

"In fact I did Ranger. Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to need sex tonight. Hope you don't mind."

**__**

To Be Continued in Chapter 8.


	8. Ch8 The Return Of Joe

__

"Sure Steph, thought of something you need?"

"In fact I did Ranger. Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to need sex tonight. Hope you don't mind."

****

Starting Over

Chapter 8

It took Ranger under a second to wrap his body around Stephanie's. One arm snaked around her waist and gripped her back while he grabbed the side of her neck with his free hand. He pulled her face to his and their lips met with a shudder. There was nothing soft or gentle about the kiss; it was hot and invading. His tongue jutted in and out of her mouth, leaving no part unexplored. He let the hand on her neck drift upwards until it settled on her cheek. It took all of her strength to meet his hunger, and by the time they separated they were both panting and stumbling to regain control over their bodies.

When their breathing returned to normal, Ranger grabbed Steph's hand and pulled her roughly through the apartment door. "Come on babe, we've got to go. We'll discuss this later."

Stephanie wasn't able to answer him. She simply let him lead her out of the building and into the car. As they sped down the road towards the courthouse she absentmindedly ran her fingers across her lips remembering the sensations Ranger had left emblazed upon them.

------------------------

Ranger's arm rested gently on the small of Stephanie's back as they made their way into the courthouse. As soon as they were inside, Ranger's lawyer trotted up to the couple.

"Good news, Mrs. Morelli. Your husband signed the settlement papers this morning. I think you'll be more than pleased with what we've worked out."

Stephanie took the papers from the lawyer and gave them a quick look. Her eyes froze on the bottom line. It was a lot of money. More than she ever thought she would get. She knew she should be happy, but the stiff feeling in her stomach prevented any joy.

She glance at Ranger, then the lawyer. "This is a lot of money, more money than Joe has. How is this possible?"

"Sure he doesn't have that amount in liquid funds, but it really won't be that big of a problem after he sells the house."

Steph jumped, "What? He's selling the house? But Joe loves that house."

Ranger removed his had from her back before speaking. "Steph this is a good thing. You're getting what you deserve."

"That may be true Ranger, but at what cost?"

The lawyer glanced at his watch then back to Stephanie. "Ok Mrs. Morelli, if you'll just sign beside the X's I can get these papers processed and you will be a single woman once again."

Ranger handed her a pen and shook hands with his attorney and gave the man a pat on the back. "Thanks for all the help Steven."

The two men talked and laughed quietly as they waited for Stephanie to fill out the paperwork. What they didn't notice was that she wasn't signing them, she was staring at them as if they were diseased. "I need to talk to Joe." Steph said too quiet for the men to hear.

"What was that Steph?" Ranger questioned as the smile slid from his face.

"I said I need to talk to Joe."

"I don't think you understand Mrs. Morelli. It's all taken care of. He signed the papers a few minutes ago. It's all settled."

"Not for me it isn't. I need to talk to my husband."

Ranger took a step away from Stephanie. She could feel his anger settle deep in his body. She would have to deal with that later, but at that moment Joe was her priority.

A few steps behind the three of them, a door opened and Joe and another man walked through. When he spotted Stephanie, Joe stopped cold, when his eyes shifted to Ranger he once again continued his path toward the exit.

Steph ran to him, grabbing his arm. "We need to talk Joe."

Joe tossed his head back in cynical laughter. "No Steph we don't. I believe your lawyer said it all."

"Please Joe. Just give me a minute."

Her eyes were pleading with him and he caved. "Fine. Lead the way."

Steph ignored the scowl on Ranger's face and walked with Joe down the hallway to a nearby conference room.

Joe headed straight to the window and watched the activities of the street below while waiting for Steph to begin.

She had hesitated long enough, and deep down she knew it wasn't going to get any easier. Summoning up her courage she began to speak in a low, soft voice. "Joe, I don't want you to have to sell the house."

Joe was taken aback, obviously these were not the words he was expecting. "You have a funny way of showing it."

"The lawyers came up with the deal, it wasn't my idea. But I didn't prevent it either. I was pissed Joe, surely you can understand that."

Joe turned his attention away from the window until it fell entirely on Steph. "I know I hurt you Stephanie. I am sorry for that."

"You hurt me a lot Joe, and at first I wasn't sure how to deal with it. Revenge seemed like a good idea, but that's not what I want now."

"What do you want Steph. You're already getting most of the money from the house, plus a nice alimony payment each month. I have nothing left to give."

"That's where you're wrong Joe. First of all, I didn't sign the agreement. I won't take that money from you. Ranger has given me a good job so I can support myself and our baby. But there is something I want from you, and if you oblige me I'll make the lawyer draw up a new agreement as soon as we leave here."

Joe cocked his eyebrow out of confusion and curiosity. "Just tell me what you want. If I can give it to you, I will. I at least owe you that much."

Steph swore she noticed regret in Joe's eyes. "Joe, all I want is for you to answer one single question for me. If you are totally honest with me, then we'll toss out that agreement and draw up a new one, on our terms."

Joe nodded in agreement, still weary of what he was committing himself to.

"Joe, while we were dating you told me constantly what you wanted me to change about myself. My job, my friends, basically my entire life. Stupidly, I did just that. I quit a job I enjoyed, gave up friends I loved, and became a mindless Burg drone for you. I became everything you said you wanted me to be. I was the perfect little 'Mary-homemaker' for you. But in the end, it wasn't enough. So my question is this. What was it that you wanted from me that I didn't or couldn't give to you?"

Joe was thrown off guard with the rare emotion of her question. He had made her doubt herself, and in the end, that may have been the worst thing of all he had done to her. He shook his head as if to clear himself of thoughts and grabbed a chair around the large boardroom table. He didn't answer immediately. He gathered his thoughts with his head dropped into his hands leaning on the table. When he finally spoke it was soft and contained a hint of hurt. "Jesus Steph, I never meant for this to happen."

Stephanie gave him time to finish, while she moved to a chair across from him.

"When I asked you to marry me, I honestly thought I could have it all. I thought I could have both you and the housewife all rolled into one. For awhile it was great, I loved coming home every night finding you there waiting for me. But eventually I realized that I had lost the Stephanie I had married. Your fire and spirit were gone, when I acknowledged that loss, I realized what a mistake I had made. I always thought if I could convince you to change for me, then I'd have it all. I was too stupid to realize that you were perfect just the way you were. I should have never have asked you to change; it'll be something I'll forever regret. I've fucked this up so bad Steph, and I have no idea what to do about it." Joe placed a hand over his eyes trying to prevent Stephanie from seeing his tears.

Stephanie was stunned by his answer. She honestly believed Joe was going to give her a laundry list of everything she had done wrong. "Joe, what's done is done. All either of us can do now is learn from our mistakes and move on."

"I still love you Stephanie."

"And I still love Joe. I probably always will."

He met her eyes, "How can you not hate me?"

"Oh, don't worry Joe part of me does hate you. But that part is growing smaller everyday. I want to move on with my life, and I can't do that if I dwell on the past. You need to do the same."

"Do you think that part of you will ever shrink enough to take me back?"

Stephanie eyes widened at his words. She had never imagined Joe would have second thoughts. The old Stephanie would have jumped into his arms, but that wasn't who she wanted to be now. She wanted to be the really, old Steph. The one that could see the reality of the situation.

"No Joe. It'll never shrink that far. This is it for you and me, no more second chances. I'm ready to move on with my life. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I need you to understand what I'm saying Joe." She let the words pass her lips slowly and deliberately. "We will never be together again. We won't be lovers, we won't be a couple, and we won't be friends. I plan on tolerating you for the sake of our child, but that's as far as my kindness towards you will reach. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Joe nodded his head slowly in defeat.

"And besides Joe, I don't think Crystal would care to much about you throwing yourself back into the arms of your soon to be ex-wife."

Joe chuckled slightly, "Crystal left me yesterday morning. Seems she liked me better married."

Stephanie stood and headed towards the door, "Joe, I'm going to do you a favor and leave right now. If I stay any longer and realize the only reason you apologized was because you didn't want to be alone tonight then I'm going to sign the original agreement and take you for every damn dime."

Joe didn't dare speak. He remained seated as he watched her open the door to the hallway.

She stopped short of leaving the room and spun to look at him one last time, "I'll call you when I have the baby. Do not call me or contact me directly in any way. If you need something call my lawyer."

The door slammed louder than she had anticipated and jumped just as Ranger and Steven came into her sight. She knew Ranger was still angry, but she had too many other things on her mind to deal with it at the moment. She ignored Ranger's glare and focused on the confused lawyer standing next to him.

"Can you draw up a new agreement? I don't want anything except for what I took into the marriage. I believe I already have everything from the house, but there are a few things in a storage building in East Trenton. Also note that I do not want any alimony. Please send the papers to me as soon as you have them ready."

The man stood stunned and Ranger began to protest but was stopped by Steph, "Not now Ranger, will you please take me home?"

--------------------------------

The car ride home had been in total silence. She knew she would have to explain things to him eventually but she just didn't have the strength. When they reached the Rangeman building, Steph slid from the car but Ranger remained seated and buckled in.

"Are you not coming up?"

"No."

Stephanie didn't argue. She headed for the apartment and went straight for the bed. She needed time to think. She needed time to get her head on straight. She fell asleep thinking how it was probably a good idea that Ranger was somewhere other than right next to her while he was cooling off. They would talk later.

---------------------------

Stephanie woke nearly 3 hours later to the sound of Ranger's hushed voice in the next room. She rolled out of bed and headed out to face the music, but was stopped by Ranger's conversation. It was obvious what he was planning to do.

"Yeah, I'll get the closing settled when I get there. I just can't believe you found a place that quick and from what you described it sounds perfect for work and residence. Anyway, thanks for all your help but I need to get the process of closing the office started and then pack. With any luck I should be able to leave in two or three days. I'll call when I arrive."

As soon as Ranger flipped the cell phone closed, Stephanie entered the room with her arms crossed.

"You're leaving." There was no reason to make it a question.

__

To Be Continued in Ch.9


	9. Ch9 Ranger's Leaving?

__

As soon as Ranger flipped the cell phone closed, Stephanie entered the room with her arms crossed.

"You're leaving." There was no reason to make it a question.

**__**

Starting Over

Chapter 9

Steph wanted to plead to him but the building anger wouldn't allow it. "I can't believe you're leaving because I didn't do what you wanted me to do. This is my divorce and despite what you think, it has nothing to do with you."

Ranger's face turned to stone. "I didn't want you to find out this way. It was all suppose to be a big surprise but I guess I'll just have to tell you."

Stephanie uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips. "Let's hear it Ranger. Let's hear the excuse."

Ranger's blank face changed quickly to anger. "First Stephanie stop treating me as if I'm Joe. I deserve better than that. Yes I was angry about the divorce settlement, but I knew you had your reasons. As for the phone call you just overheard., I bought a house on the coast of North Carolina. I thought it would do us both some good to take a vacation."

Stephanie wasn't sure what to say. She was embarrassed for over-reacting yet again. "I'm sorry Ranger. I didn't mean…."

"Steph, you never mean it, but that doesn't stop you from saying things that hurt me. Just do me a favor and ask me what's going on before you jump to conclusions."

She nodded her head in agreement then paced around the room in silence. She wanted to explain about Joe, she wanted to apologize for hurting him again, but mostly she just wanted to make things right. It seemed the harder she tried do that, the worse things got. When she realized Ranger was finished with his part of the conversation she began questioning him about the trip.

"So, am I still invited?" She traced the pattern on the kitchen countertop with her fingertips.

Ranger's lips curled slightly. "Of course you're still invited."

Stephanie tried to suppress her own grin but failed miserably.

While booting up his laptop, Ranger glanced again at her. "Go ahead."

"Go ahead what?" she questioned.

"Go ahead and ask me about the details. I know you're dying to."

She tossed her head back and faked a laugh. "You know Ranger, you don't know me as well as you think you do."

"But I still know you better than you want me to." He chided.

She pondered it for a minute, then decided it would be best to change subjects. "So, when are we leaving?"

"As soon as we're ready. It'll take me until tomorrow afternoon to get the office settled., plus I'm sure you have a lot of packing to do."

She ignored the obvious jab. "How long are we going to be gone?"

"Not really sure. I'm taking a complete week off from work to get the house settled and furnished. Then once that's done and I get the office at the house completed I'll be able to get some work done while we're there. Erica arrives the next week and will stay for a couple of weeks. After that it's all up in the air. We can return then, or stay. I'll leave it up to you."

"So, just to make sure I understand completely. You aren't leaving Trenton for good?"

"No."

"You want me to go with you?"

"Yes."

"And you want me to meet your daughter and spend time alone with just you and her."

"Not exactly. We won't be alone. I've invited a few others to come too."

"Who?"

"Well, since you spoiled the surprise of the trip, I think it would be best if I make you wait for that answer."

"That's not fair."

Ranger flashed his full-on wolf grin then plucked away on the laptop. "Go start packing Steph."

She pouted briefly, then turned on her heel and headed to the bedroom.

---------------------

The next day for Steph was crazy. She needed to let everyone know she was heading out of town. Her first stop was at her OB/GYN. She wanted to double check with the doctor that everything was going ok. Once she was reassured she headed over to her mom and dads for lunch. In terms of family visits, this one had gone well. No one argued, no chickens were shot, and when she left everyone was still in one piece. Her mother wasn't excited about her leaving, but understood anyway.

After leaving them she headed to the mall to pick up a few last minutes item. She had begun gaining weight at an insane rate and was once again in the need of larger clothes. She tried to find something stylish, but it seemed stylish and maternity wear didn't really go together.

Just as she was leaving the mall her cell phone chirped. "Hello."

"Hey babe, where are you?"

"Just leaving the mall. What about you?"

"I'm home, office stuff is settled and I'm all packed. Things have gone smoother than I planned so as soon as you get here and finish packing we can leave."

"Well I'm headed that way now, should be there in 15 minutes."

"Ok, see ya then babe."

"Ranger, wait. Did Mary Lou leave a message for me on the machine?"

"Nope, no messages. Something wrong?"

"I just haven't been able to reach her all day. I guess I'll have to wait and call her from the road."

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure she'll understand."

"Yeah, you're right. See ya in a few."

---------------------------

An hour and a half later Steph was still running around the apartment while Ranger sat calmly on the couch flipping through the channels.

"Ranger have you seen my prenatal vitamins?" She yelled from the bathroom.

"Already packed them."

"What about that travel pillow?"

"I've already put it in the front seat of the Expedition."

Ranger glanced at his watch just as the phone rang. "Yo. Ok, we'll be down in just a sec."

Ranger hung up the phone and carefully entered the bedroom. Hurricane Steph had definitely swept through, the total cost of the damage was yet to be seen. "Hey Steph, are you almost done?"

"Just about. I don't want to forget anything."

"Don't worry, we'll buy whatever we need when we get there." As she rushed by him towards the closet he grabbed her arms and stopped her cold. "Steph, our guests are waiting on us downstairs. You've packed everything you would possible ever need. Now let's get going."

She stomped her foot slightly then hesitantly agreed. "Fine, let's go. And who are the guests?"

"Let's go downstairs and find out."

Ranger struggled with Stephanie's four bags of luggage as they made their way to the parking garage. The doors opened and Stephanie shrieked at the sight in front of her.

"Mary Lou!! You're going with us?"

"Yes sirree bob. Ranger called us a few days ago to see if we wanted to get away for awhile. We can't remember the last vacation we had so we jumped on the offer."

Ranger and Lenny were busied themselves with loading Steph's luggage into the back of the Expedition. Once everything was in place Ranger reached into his pocket and handed Lenny and envelope.

"What's this?" Lenny questioned.

"Keys to that." Ranger pointed to a second Expedition sitting next to his black one. "Figured it would be better with two vehicles."

Lenny looked shocked. "Yeah, you're right. But are you sure you're ok with me driving one of your vehicles?"

"What could you possible do to it that's worse than anything Steph ever did to my cars?"

"Good point." Lenny gave Ranger a hard slap on the back then turned to the girls. "Alright ladies, it's time to get the show on the road."

Ranger helped Lenny and Mary Lou load the boys into the back of the SUV. Once the smallest one was secured in the car seat and everyone else was settled, the group set out for North Carolina.

--------------------------

Stephanie fell asleep before they even reached the main highway. She napped for an hour before waking up. She looked around and noticed it was beginning to get dark outside and there was a gentle rain hitting the windshield.

"Where are we?"

"Just crossing into Delaware. You should go back to sleep, we still have about 6 hours ahead of us."

"That's ok. I'd rather stay up and talk to you."

Ranger shot her a sideways glance. "Will this be a good talk or a bad talk?"

Stephanie smirked. "Neutral. I just have a few things to tell you."

"Neutral huh?"

"Are you going to keep asking me questions or are you going to let me say what I need to say."

Ranger smiled. "Floor's all yours babe."

Steph grinned. "I want to explain what happened between me and Joe."

Ranger interrupted. "You don't have to. You were right, your divorce isn't my business."

"Don't interrupt me please. Just let me say what I have to say, or this car ride is going to be very long."

Ranger nodded then fell back into his driving zone.

"I was mad at Joe. There was no doubt about that. At first I just wanted to get back at him. Then when I realized he was going to have to sell his house for me, I knew that revenge wasn't worth me feeling guilty. Yeah, Joe screwed me over, but that was no reason to linger on it. I'm trying to get to a new place in my life. A place where I can move on and become the person I was really meant to be. I could never have done that if I was stuck in the past. It's only been a few months since we separated and the emotions are still raw. I knew if I acted on those emotions I would live to regret it. So that's why I wanted him to keep the house."

Steph waited for Ranger's reaction, but of course it never came.

"Can you try to understand why I did what I did?"

Ranger flicked his eyes at her for the briefest of moments. "Of course I can. I just want you to do what makes you happy."

"I'm trying Ranger, I really am. I just forgot for so long what it was that made me happy. It feels like I'm having to rediscover myself all over again. I'm also trying to deal with this baby thing. I'm really starting to show and that's making it sink in. I'm going to be a mother, heaven help this kid."

"You're going to be a great mom."

Stephanie laughed. "You sound pretty sure of that."

"I am. You're a strong woman and you're going to be a hell of a role model for your child."

Stephanie blushed and turned to the out the side window so Ranger wouldn't notice. They remained quiet for several minutes until Stephanie spoke again.

"Joe asked me to take him back."

She eyed Ranger and noticed his knuckles turning white around the steering wheel. He remained silent.

She waited until she was frustrated then asked, "Aren't you going to ask me what I told him."

"I'm trying to decide if I want to know."

She let out a sigh and then continued. "Yes you want to know. I told him to leave me alone and that I didn't want to have anything to do with him. Until the baby is born he is to only contact me through the lawyer."

"And after the baby is born?"

"Then we'll just have to wait and see. I can't kick him totally out of my life, this is his baby."

Ranger gripped the wheel slightly tighter. "You don't have to remind me."

"You might want to ease up on the steering wheel before you rip it out of the console."

He took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"Are you worried that I'm going to go back to him?"

He paused before answering. "Yes. I watched you go back to him too many times not to believe it isn't a possibility."

The thump of the car's tires was the only sound they heard for the next few minutes. Ranger thought she had fallen back asleep until she spoke. "Are you still serious about have a relationship with me in the future?"

"Babe."

"Just humor me ok?"

"Fine. Yes Steph, you know I want to be with you."

"Well Ranger, I want to be with you too. But we both need to get some things straight before we jump into anything."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact you still think I could go back to Joe. I understand why you may think that, but it will honestly never happen. I'm not sure how to convince you of that, but it is the truth. Joe and I had our chance, it didn't work." Steph took a deep breath then admitted her own faults. "And I need to stop comparing you to the losers of my past. I know you are nothing like them. I just need to remember that. It also wouldn't hurt if I would think before I speak."

Ranger's lips turned slightly. "Good idea."

Steph reached over and poked his shoulder. "Hey, be nice!"

"Always babe." He reached over and grabbed her hand placing it on the console between their seats. Their fingers remained intertwined until they stopped for gas.


	10. Ch10 The Beach House

__

Steph reached over and poked his shoulder. "Hey, be nice!"

"Always babe." He reached over and grabbed her hand placing it on the console between their seats. Their fingers remained intertwined until they stopped for gas.

****

Starting Over

Chapter 10

The remainder of the drive to the coast went smoothly. Mary Lou called Stephanie's cell phone when they passed a sign declaring "Welcome to The Outer Banks".

"Thank God we're finally here." Mary Lou yelled over a pair of screaming boys.

Stephanie tried to suppress a laugh, "Not having fun Lou?"

"Oh you just wait Steph, in a few more months you'll know exactly how much fun I'm having."

Stephanie clicked the phone off as soon as the realization of what Mary Lou had said registered with her.

"So how much further until we reach the house?"

Ranger glanced in her direction, "Tired of me already?"

"No, I just need to pee again."

Ranger tossed his head back in laughter. "We're almost there, maybe another 10 minutes or so."

Stephanie settled for his answer and tried to be patient while filling her time with the sights around her. The area was really a small quaint little town. Of course there were the occasional tourist traps, but mostly it was small local shops. She rolled the window down slightly and took in the salty air. The sun was just beginning to set and the remaining sunlight hung over the town like a blanket.

As Ranger began driving further and further through the town, Stephanie soon realized they were leaving the town they had just entered.

"So where are we going?"

"The town is called Carova Beach. It's on the northern tip of North Carolina and right next to the Virginia coast."

Just as he finished speaking Stephanie looked up to see the paved road coming to an end. He downshifted the SUV then slowly crossed over onto sand. After a rough turn the cars were now headed up the coast, the literal coast. Stephanie could see other tire tracks in the sand but she was still slightly confused.

"Um, Ranger. Want to explain why we are driving on the beach?"

"It's the only way to get to where we're going." He said, as if that was enough of an explanation.

Two minutes later Ranger turned the SUV away from the water and once again headed into the mainland. A few manmade roads were visible, all of which were still consisted only of sand. It was as if they were driving on a huge sand dune.

Another minute passed and a house came slowly into sight. Calling it a house wasn't really doing it justice, if anything it was more like a mansion. As they grew closer to it, Stephanie counted three stories and an unlimited number of gables. The house was sitting right on top of a dune where it stood majestically overlooking the nearly abandoned beach.

When they finally reached the driveway to the house Ranger maneuvered the SUV into one side of the open air garage, leaving just enough space for Lenny to park the second SUV. "Come on babe, at least look inside the house before you go all speechless on me."

Stephanie laughed softly then bounded out of the car meeting an equally surprised Mary Lou.

"I had no idea we would be staying in a castle!" exclaimed Mary Lou.

Ranger laughed and Lenny rolled his eyes as both men busied themselves with unlatching the now forgotten kids in the back of the SUV. Lenny grabbed the baby and handed him over to Ranger, in order to be able to free the remaining two children. Ranger carried the baby gently while offering the small child his thumb who happily grabbed the giant finger and quickly began nibbling away. Mary Lou and Stephanie were snapped back into reality as Ranger approached them with the cooing baby.

"Oh sorry Ranger, you can give him to me." Mary Lou said while reaching for the child.

"That's ok, he seems satisfied at the moment. Here, take the keys and let's get a look inside this place." Ranger said as he extended the keys to Mary Lou.

Mary Lou didn't hesitate. Once she had the keys, her and Steph ran to the front door. Once inside the house, each woman took off running in different directions. Ranger, Lenny and the boys followed shortly after them.

---------------------------

When Stephanie returned to main room on the first floor she smiled at the sight before her. Ranger was sitting in the floor with his legs stretched in front of him as a giggling baby boy playfully explored Ranger's face. Tiny fingers ran over Ranger's smooth face caressing the different textures. Small, slime covered fingers poked Ranger's eyes and ears, and just when the baby started to stuff them up his nose, Ranger laughed and pulled them away.

Stephanie walked to the couple in the floor and kicked Ranger's leg slightly to get his attention.

"You really are something you know that?" Stephanie teased.

"And what does that mean?" Ranger replied while he scrunched his face in a successful effort to get the baby to laugh.

"Well, we know women fall all over you, men want to be your best friend, and now you seem to have some magical pull over children as well."

Ranger laughed then glanced up at Stephanie. "I've always loved kids. They are the only group of people that actually seem to understand me."

Stephanie was about to ask for an explanation when Lenny, Mary Lou and the boys bounded into the room.

"Ranger this place is great! I can't believe you own this! We counted at least 9 different bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. And that kitchen is huge!" Mary Lou was nearly beside her self with joy.

"Thanks, I'm just glad it finally came on the market. My daughter and I noticed it about 3 years ago when we were walking along the beach one night. We both fell in love with it. I tried to get the owner to sale, but he wouldn't budge. Then as luck would have it, I called my realtor last week to let her know I wanted to purchase a house in this area. She said the owner had finally decided to sale, so I jumped on the deal." explained Ranger.

"Well there's only one problem." interrupted Stephanie.

Ranger just stared at her until she explained.

"There's no furniture and only one set of mattresses in one of the bedrooms. So where exactly are we going to sleep?"

"I ordered the mattresses the other day so we would at least have one set. I figured you, Mary Lou and the baby could take it tonight."

"But what about you, Lenny and the boys?" questioned Mary Lou.

"Well, I planned a little surprise." Ranger handed the baby off to Mary Lou, then stood and looked over at Mikey and Sean, both of which were spitting images of Lenny. "How would you guys like to camp out on the beach tonight?"

The 8 and 10 year olds both jumped up and started screaming at the same time. They each did their own version of a happy dance around the room.

Lenny laughed at the excitement of his boys. "Looks like they're up for it."

Ranger returned his laugh, "That's a good thing, because if they didn't go for it, I wasn't real sure what to do." He glanced back at Mary Lou and Stephanie. "All the plumbing and electricity should be on, so we have water and power. I had someone pick up some groceries ahead of time so the fridge and cabinets are full. I thought tomorrow we could go shopping and you ladies could help me get this place furnished."

Mary Lou and Stephanie looked at one another, then began mimicking the boys' happy dance and singing, "We are going shoooopping… We are going shooooopping."

Lenny and Ranger rolled their eyes in unison and then headed to the car to get the luggage.

--------------------

Two hours later the tent was pitched and loaded with junk food and Mikey, Sean, and Lenny were already setting around the nearby campfire roasting marshmallows. Ranger was in the house tucking the ladies in for the evening and making sure all his guests needs were taken care of.

"Are you sure you two are going to be ok sleeping here?" questioned Ranger.

"Ranger, stop worrying. Mary Lou and I use to have sleepovers all the time when we were kids. It'll be just like old times."

Mary Lou held her youngest son, Alex in her arms as she fed him a bottle. Stephanie rose from the bed and looped her arm inside of Rangers. She walked him to the front door then stopped and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for inviting them Ranger. I know I don't always do a good job of showing it, but I really do appreciate everything you do for me."

Ranger slid his arms around her waist and pulled Steph's warm body to his. "I meant what I said Stephanie. I'm not going to let anything prevent me from making you mine. I've not been pressuring you, but that's probably going to stop soon. I love you and I have all intentions of keeping you." He slowly brought his right hand around until it rested on her puffy belly. "I promise to do whatever it takes to make sure you and this baby are cared for and happy for the rest of your life."

Stephanie let her defenses down long enough to drop her head to Ranger's chest. She listened to his heart beating as she tried to thinking of something to say.

"Ranger, you take my breath away and I don't know what to say to you. How do I respond to such a declaration as what you just gave me?"

"Just be honest with me and yourself Steph, tell me what you want."

Stephanie thought for a minute and once again her defenses returned. "I'm scared."

Ranger sighed then dropped his head until his chin rested against Stephanie's hair. "I know babe. I'm trying to help with that, but apparently it's just going to take time."

When Ranger finally pushed Stephanie away he grabbed the sides of her head and leaned in for a soft, gentle kiss. His lips barely touched hers, but the power from it melted Stephanie all the way to her toes. He broke the touch then whispered. "If you or Mary Lou need anything tonight just give me a buzz. I put one of the walkie-talkies next to the mattress."

Stephanie stood in the open doorway watching Ranger walk towards the ocean. She smiled as Mikey offered him gooey marshmallow. And to Steph's surprise, Ranger picked the sticky snack from the limb and ate it as if it was the best thing he had ever tasted.

She closed the door and headed back to the second floor bedroom where Mary Lou and Alex waited for her. She plopped onto the bed then rolled onto her side so she could face the pair.

"Ok Steph, spit it out. Tell me what the crap is going on."

"What are you talking about Lou?"

"Give it up girl, this is me you are talking to. I know you love him, I know you want him, so tell me Steph. Why are you sharing this mattress with me instead of Ranger?"

__

To Be Continued…


	11. Ch11 Sunrise

__

"What are you talking about Lou?"

"Give it up girl, this is me you are talking to. I know you love him, I know you want him, so tell me Steph. Why are you sharing this mattress with me instead of Ranger?"

****

Starting Over

Chapter 11

"Mary Lou, get a life. I've only been officially divorced for one day. What do you expect me to do? Jump right in bed with another man?"

"Of course not Steph, not just another man. This is Ranger we're talking about. Don't act like you don't have feelings for him. I know good and well you've loved that man for years now. So don't you think it's about time you told him so?"

Stephanie sat up in the bed, crossed her arms and did her best to look pissed. "I can't believe you are saying this to me Lou. I loved Joe. I married him didn't I?"

"Hey, I never said you didn't love Joe, I know you did. But that doesn't have anything to do with the feelings you have for Ranger. For some reason you've always been afraid of that man, and for the life of me I can't figure out why."

"I'll tell you why, because he has the ability to hurt me more than anyone else ever has."

Mary Lou shifted the baby to a more comfortable position and continued feeding him. "Give me a break Steph, you know good and well Ranger would never lay a hand on you."

"Of course he wouldn't but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about emotionally Mare. My feelings for him are so strong, I don't think I could survive if things didn't work out with him. Isn't it better if we just stay friends?"

"Steph, what could Ranger possibly do to hurt you more than Joe did? As for just remaining friends, you know at this point it's not possible. I know Ranger loves you. He told me so."

"What? When?"

"When he came to the house to ask Lenny and I if we wanted to come on this trip. As he was leaving I told him how much I appreciated him taking care of you and he turned to me and said, 'I love her Mary Lou'."

"Yeah, in his own way." sniped Stephanie.

"Cut him a break Steph. He's made mistakes in the past, but look at what he's done for you? Do you see him inviting any other women into his life and apartment. The man completely put his life on hold for you the second you called him. That's love Stephanie. It's about time you found out what that kind of love feels like."

"What's that suppose to mean Mary Lou?" Steph's anger rose to her throat.

"It means that he loves you the way you need to be loved. Joe never got that. Joe loved the idea of you, but not the real you. He did everything he could think of to change you. Has Ranger once ever once tried to change you? Has he ever prevented you from doing what you really wanted to do?"

Stephanie thought about her words for a moment and realized she was right. But how could she admit that to him. How could she give herself up to the man she had loved for so long. If he hurt her, she didn't think she would be able to survive it. Joe was hard enough to get over, but Ranger would be too hard.

"That's all well and good Mary Lou, but just think what the Burg would say if I jumped into his bed so soon. Hell, I'm pregnant with Joe's baby. I don't need anymore rumors than are already rumbling around."

Mary Lou laughed, "Is that the best excuse you can come up with? You're being a chicken Steph. You have never cared about what the Burg thought of you. You're scared to love Ranger, and I can't figure out why. But as long as you're being this unreasonable I'm not going to argue with you. So if you don't mind I'm going to sleep."

Mary Lou rolled over and settled comfortably on her side with the squirming little boy snuggled next to her. In a matter of moments she was out like a light.

Stephanie sunk into bed and tried sleeping herself. Two hours later she was still tossing and turning. Mary Lou's words rang loud in her head. Her best friend was right, just like usual.

-----------------

Early the next morning Steph was startled awake by the feeling of having a strong hand cover her mouth. She would have screamed, but she was quickly comforted by the sound of a soothing voice.

"Shhh, babe. Don't wake up Mary Lou and the baby. I need you to come with me, I have something to show you."

Stephanie didn't argue as she gently rose from the mattress. She threw on a pair of shoes and followed Ranger downstairs.

"Where are we going Ranger?"

Ranger reached out and took her hand in his. "I want to show you the real reason I bought this house."

Stephanie looked confused but followed him anyway. He pulled her out of the house and they set out for the beach. It was still dark outside but light was beginning to warm the sky.

It didn't take them long to get to his destination. He stopped walking as they reached the top of a nearby sand dune which was slightly higher than the others, giving them a great view of the beach.

Ranger fell to the sand and stretched his long legs in front of him. He grabbed Steph's waist and pulled her down in front of him. She snuggled between his legs and he pulled her against his chest while he encased her body with his arms. He rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered into her ear. "Get ready for a show babe. This is probably the only thing in the world that can rival your beauty."

Ranger held Steph tightly as they watched the sun rise slowly in the horizon. Light reflected from the water and announced the opening of the beach to all the tourists. The sky was filled with shades of pink and orange which signaled that it was going to be another gorgeous day on the coast.

Ranger was right, it was beautiful, nearly breathtakingly so. Something worthy of an award winning photograph.

Steph shifted her body slight so she could meet Ranger's eyes. When the sun had risen fully she turned to him and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Thank you Ranger."

"Anytime babe."

They stared at one another for a long time and Stephanie tried her best to remember why she had been so afraid.

To Be Continued….


	12. Ch12 Shopping Day

__

They stared at one another for a long time and Stephanie tried her best to remember why she had been so afraid.

****

Starting Over

Chapter 12

Ranger leaned in and Stephanie braced for a deep, bone melting kiss. But it never came. Instead, he gave her nose a quick peck then hurdled himself to his feet and offered his hands to her. After a quick sigh of disappointment, she grabbed his hands and allowed him to pull her body upward until she planted firmly on her feet.

Ranger threw an arm around her shoulder as they made their way back to the house. Just as they were about to walk through the door, he stopped her so he could whisper something into her ear.

"When you show me you want more, I'll put some real effort into the kiss."

Stephanie wanted to respond but by the time she had gathered her thoughts Ranger had opened the door to the noisy house.

Apparently the day started early at Mary Lou and Lenny's house. The older boys were running around in circles chasing each other while Lenny stood helplessly holding a screaming baby in his arms. Mary Lou was no where to be seen. 'Smart women', Steph said silently to herself.

Ranger approached Lenny who was squinting and sniffing at the baby trying to figure out what exactly was wrong.

"What's the situation Lenny?" Ranger questioned.

"Not real sure. Diaper was recently changed. I just finished giving him a bottle and even remembered to burp him this time. I'm about to run out of options. He just doesn't seem real happy at the moment."

Ranger bent slightly and met the baby's eyes. "Hmmm, maybe he needs to burp again."

"Could be, but I don't think so. He really let one roll a second ago."

Stephanie watched Ranger and Lenny evaluate the situation as the two other boys continued their game of chase. Over their yells and laughter Stephanie made her own suggestion.

"Um guys, maybe it's just me but it's a little loud in here."

Ranger and Lenny looked at her as if she just sprouted a second head.

She rolled her eyes at them then continued to explain. "Maybe those two are scaring him. Maybe they are making him feel unsettled or something."

Ranger raised an eyebrow to Lenny. "She could be on to something. Let's see if that's the problem."

Ranger took two giant steps into the middle of the room, stiffened his body and crossed his arms across his chest. In a loud, commanding voice he spoke to the boys. "Front and center gentlemen!"

At the sound of Ranger's voice, both boys quickly took their best military stance. Arms straight to their sides, chests out, heads up.

Ranger dropped his arms and then gripped them around his back as he began to pace back and forth in front of the two youngsters.

"Alright men, this is the mission for today. First, we need to hit the bathroom and wash any body part that is either sticky or smelly. Secondly, we need to get dressed in our best formals today. Nothing less than starched shorts and shirts will do. Once I dismiss you, you will have 0-20 minutes to complete the tasks I have laid before you. At said time, you are to be back in formation by the front door. Teeth are to be brushed, hair is to be tamed, clothes are to be spotless and shoes are to be spit-shined. Do you men understand my orders?"

Two sets of small hands rose to their foreheads and gave Ranger a salute. "Yes sir," they squeaked.

"Good gentlemen, then you are dismissed. Do not forget you have 0-20 minutes to complete this mission. Good luck to you both and Godspeed." Ranger returned the salute and the boys turned and headed upstairs.

Stephanie was laughing by the time it was all over. After the boys had stopped running, the baby in Lenny's arms had stopped crying and for once Stephanie felt hopeful that she might be able to handle having a child after all.

----------------------

In exactly 20 minutes Sean and Michael stood in line waiting for Ranger to do his inspection. After circling them three times, adjusting Sean's shorts and retying Michael's shoes he approved them for a brief leave and told them to stand at ease until the others were ready to join them.

Moments later Stephanie, Mary Lou and Lenny joined the boys at the door. Just as they were ready to walk out, Michael leaned over and sent a wad of spit in the direction of Mary Lou's sandals.

"Michael! What are you doing?!" exclaimed Mary Lou.

Ranger turned around and blushed immediately. "Ummm, that's probably my fault."

Michael pointed to his mother's shoes and yelled, "They aren't coded, they aren't coded."

"What is he talking about?" asked Stephanie.

Ranger turned one shade redder and said, "I think he means, they aren't up to code. I taught them how to spit shine their shoes, and now looking back, it may not have been the best idea."

Stephanie, Mary Lou, and Lenny all laughed and after Mary Lou made a quick change of shoes the entire group headed out to breakfast.

Once they reached the city limits they found a cute little restaurant. As they made their way to the table Stephanie glanced around and noticed that Ranger could still make women's heads turn. Even after all this time, the man still had it. Now Stephanie just had to find a way to convince Ranger that what he had, was exactly what she wanted.

----------------------

After eating way too much, the group stood by the two black SUV's in the parking lot.

"So what's the plan for today?" asked Mary Lou.

Ranger answered her. "Well, I was thinking that Lenny could take the kids back to the house and play in the pool awhile. Meanwhile I thought you and Steph could help me pick out some furniture and things we need for the house."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Steph said with thoughts of shopping on her mind.

"Ok then, let's do it. I figure we can have everything we need for the house bought by around 2:00 this afternoon. I thought we could all meet back here for lunch after which, I have a surprise for the guys. And you ladies can finish up the day shopping for all the finishing touches for the house."

Everyone grinned at the plan and decided it was a great idea. They separated into the two cars and headed out for the day.

-------------------------

They morning and early afternoon went pretty much as expected. Lenny and the boys had a blast playing in the large swimming pool at the house. Lenny had stopped on the way back and picked up some pool toys for the kids to play with. He even bought one of those ring, floaty things for the baby to play in. All was good with Lenny and the boys.

Things went equally well for Ranger and the girls. Stephanie and Mary Lou insisted that Ranger hit every home furnishing store they saw and since he was buying, nothing was off limits.

By 1:30 that afternoon all of the major furniture had been bought and arranged to be delivered that evening.

Ranger glanced at his watch. "Ok ladies, it's nearly time to meet Lenny and the kids so we better get going."

Fifteen minutes later he was finally able to drag them out of the last store.

As planned, they met Lenny and the kids for lunch. Once again they chose the small restaurant from earlier in the day. The service was quick and friendly and the food was great. For some reason, Stephanie was beginning to think that maybe everything was better in this small southern town.

--------------------

After lunch the group began pairing off. Lenny handed the baby to Mary Lou while Ranger wrestled Michael and Sean into the back of one of the SUV's. Just before they were ready to leave, Stephanie grabbed Ranger's arm and pulled him aside. "Can I talk to you a second?" she whispered.

Ranger looked at her with concern and confusion then grabbed her hand and walked her to the other side of the car for privacy.

"What's up babe? Something wrong?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. I just have something to ask you." Stephanie looked down to the ground and shuffled her feet against the cement.

Ranger used his index finger to slowly caress her cheek. He kept moving his hand until he reached her chin then pushed upward until her eyes met his. "What do you want to ask?"

"Well… um… Ranger. I thought…. um… maybe we could go out to eat tomorrow night."

"Sure Steph. That'll be fine, you and Mary Lou decide where you want to go and we'll do it."

Ranger started to walk back around to the other side of the SUV, but Stephanie caught his arm. "No, Ranger that's not what I meant."

He stopped, looked at her and held the blank stare.

"I mean, would you like to go out to eat with me? You know… Like a date or something?"

Ranger's eyes widened then slowly his lips followed. By the time he spoke he was wearing a big goofy-ass grin.

"Nothing would make me happier Steph."

Stephanie straightened slightly and returned the smile. "Good. Then it's a date."

They both stood silently for several awkward minutes and it wasn't until Sean crawled to the front of the SUV and honked the horn that they both jumped. Each of them laughed then both loaded into a different vehicle.

As Stephanie joined Mary Lou and the baby, she glanced over at her best friend.

Mary Lou saw the look on her face then said, "Uh, oh. This looks serious. What's wrong?"

Stephanie laughed then replied, "Clothes. I need to buy some clothes!"

__

To Be Continued…


	13. Ch 13 Decisions

__

Mary Lou saw the look on her face then said, "Uh, oh. This looks serious. What's wrong?"

Stephanie laughed then replied, "Clothes. I need to buy some clothes!"

****

Starting Over

Chapter 13

Around 7:00 that evening Stephanie gave herself one last look before heading downstairs. Mary Lou had convinced her the short black, pleated chiffon dress would make her look amazing. The neckline plunged enticingly low while the lower half of the dress was flowy enough to hide her slightly bulging belly. She topped the dress off with a pair of strappy, black heels and a small black choker necklace.

As she made her way to the downstairs living area she heard Ranger and Lenny laughing. They were discussing the day's events. Ranger's second surprise for the boys had been 4-wheeling on the dunes. Each boy had their own ATV and the four of them had spent the afternoon driving in circles and stirring up sand. Needless to say, they had a blast. She paused on the stairway for a moment to listen to the two men and then took a deep breath before continuing. As she entered the room all the laughter faded into silence. Ranger stared at her with his elevator eyes, scanning her from top to bottom and back again.

It was Lenny that cut the tension in the room as he walked to Stephanie and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Looking great kiddo." He whispered.

Stephanie blushed slightly then cooed, "Thanks handsome."

As she walked past him towards Ranger temptation took over any sensibility and Lenny swatted Stephanie on the ass and yelled out, "Hot momma!"

Stephanie jumped with surprise then relaxed slowly as the room filled with Ranger's laughter. Mary Lou swept in quickly and poked Lenny in the belly with her elbow.

Lenny merely shrugged his shoulders and asked, "What?"

Ranger extended his arm to her, which she graciously took while he led her towards the door. Just as they were clicking it closed behind them, they heard Lenny yell, "Go get 'em tiger."

Stephanie met Ranger's eyes then asked, "Was he talking to me or you?"

Ranger squinted slightly then answered, "Honestly, I have no idea."

They both laughed then gathered themselves into the SUV.

--------------------

From the coastal house, it was nearly a 30 minute drive into Nags Head. Ranger had chosen Basinight's Lone Cedar Café, as the restaurant for evening.

Ranger slipped into his silent driving mode almost as smoothly as he had slipped into the car. Stephanie knew she was in for a hard night. Ranger was bringing it, he was stepping up to the plate, his game was on. She just hoped she wasn't the one to strike out.

When they arrived at the restaurant Stephanie reached for the door handle, but a hand on her shoulder caused her to pause.

"Let me get that Steph. This is a date after all." Ranger smiled at her.

Stephanie straightened her dress as she watched Ranger through the side view mirror. With each step closer to her door her stomach did another flip-flop.

Ranger reached down and opened the car door slowly while offering his hand to her. She placed hers in his then slowly slide from the car. When her feet hit the pavement she stumbled slightly but was quickly settled by two strong arms.

Stephanie leaned back against the vehicle and met Ranger's eyes. His arms still held her firm as his hands settled comfortably at her waist.

Stephanie took a gulp of breath and tried to will her heart to slow down. When she found her voice she asked in a quiet tone. "Why am I suddenly so nervous Ranger?"

Ranger slipped his hands from her hips around her sides until they met behind her back. His chest pinned her firmly against the car. "I don't know babe. Something got you scared?" he teased.

Stephanie could feel his warm breath trickle down her neck, past her cleavage, and on towards places long unexplored. She squeezed her legs slightly and tried pulling herself together. She pushed Ranger away and he gave her a small laugh.

Trying to compose herself she told him, "Behave yourself Mr. Manaso."

They were almost near the door of the restaurant when she had spoken. Ranger quickly swept in front of her and grabbed her upper arms. He leaned in and gave her the deep, bone melting kiss he had withheld from her earlier that morning. As he pulled away, she was breathing heavily and his amusement flashed across his face. "Are you sure you want me to behave Stephanie?"

Stephanie silently cursed Mary Lou for making her by those thin, sexy panties. What she needed right now was some granny panties because nothing less could withstand the torture Ranger was putting her through.

Ranger dropped his arms and grabbed her hand in his. He lead her through the door to the restaurant and waited for the hostess. Within seconds, three different women rushed to his aide. Stephanie rolled her eyes as Ranger remained oblivious to the advances from the three young ladies.

They were seated quickly and Stephanie began to feel more at ease as she noticed the surroundings. Their table was outside on the back deck overlooking the Currituck Sound. The water was smooth and calm and a few pelicans could be seen bobbing around for some food. The sun was slowly fading in the skyline and the air whirling lightly around them was warm and comforting.

"This place is beautiful Ranger."

"Yes it is. I make sure I come here at least once whenever I'm down this way. This is Katlyn's favorite place."

Stephanie looked momentarily confused then realized Katlyn was Ranger's daughter. Suddenly, she remembered the approaching deadline.

"So when is Katlyn arriving?" Stephanie asked politely.

Ranger's lips turned upward and he leaned back in his chair. "Steph, don't be worried ok? She's going to love you. But to answer your question, they should be arriving sometime Sunday evening."

"They?"

"Yes they. Tom is picking her and his daughter up from boarding school and driving them in."

"Ok, two questions. Who is Tom? And where is her school? Must be close if they are driving from there."

Ranger grabbed the ice water the waiter had just placed before them and took a quick sip before answering.

"She goes to a prep school in Raleigh. It's about 4 hours or so from here. And you know Tom as Tank."

"Oh. I had no idea Tan.., I mean Tom had a daughter."

"Yup, her name is Lily. She's 13, a year older than Kat."

Stephanie grabbed her own glass of ice water and tried to process the information Ranger was feeding her. They had talked about his daughter a few times but never anything really specific. Normally he seemed slightly pained when he spoke about her, she had asked him once why it upset him. He answered her by saying, 'talking about her makes me miss her that much more.'

"So are you excited about seeing her?" Asked Stephanie as she broke off a piece of a hot dinner roll that was brought out with their drinks.

"I can't wait. It's been almost a year. Since she's getting older it's harder for her to leave school. Most of the time she wants to stay and hang out with friends. Other times her mom has her, so somewhere between her mother and her friends I manage to see her a bit."

"I can tell you miss her a lot."

"I do. She's my world. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love that kid."

Stephanie smiled into her glass. It warmed her heart to see the amount of love Ranger held for his daughter. She always knew he was a good man, this was simple more evidence of that fact.

She continued to sip her water as Ranger ordered their food. He had convinced her to let him select after agreeing to no tofu or anything green.

They sat in silence for a few moments as they listened to the water lapping against the shore. It was becoming darker and darker by the minute and soon the stars were beginning to shine brightly in the sky. Someone from the restaurant turned on the white twinkling lights on the deck and made Stephanie feel as if she was up above, floating among the stars.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she nearly jumped when Ranger said her name.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I was just wondering what you were thinking."

She blushed a little then answered, "It's ok, I guess my mind was just wandering. I was just thinking about how relaxing it is here. I don't remember being this stress-free in a long time."

Ranger smiled brightly. "I think that's why I like it so much. There's just a sense of calm here."

Stephanie nodded in agreement as the waiter appeared at their table with food. After everything was distributed Stephanie looked at her plate then back at Ranger.

"So, what is it?"

"It's Mahi-Mahi. Try it, you'll love it."

Stephanie started with the roasted potatoes and then worked up the courage to try the Mahi-Mahi. After she finally took a bite her mouth instantly began drooling for another. "mmmmmm."

"I told you would like it." chuckled Ranger.

"This is great. So tell me what it is. I know it's some kind of fish."

"Right. Mahi-Mahi is the name of the fish, which is a Hawaiian word for 'strong-strong'. It's other name is dolphin fish."

Stephanie's fork froze in mid-motion in her mouth, then slowly she lowered it to her plate. After swallowing hard she asked, "You mean I'm eating Flipper?"

Ranger leaned back in his chair and laughed loud enough to get the attention of several tables around them. "No babe. I said dolphin-fish. It's not the same as a dolphin like you are thinking of. Those are porpoises, these are just a normal run-of-the-mill fish."

She let out a sigh then quickly began eating once again. Now well into her 2nd trimester she could definitely tell a difference in her appetite and she was beginning to eat a lot more than usual, which was saying something.

The remainder of the meal went without incident. Ranger told Stephanie more about his daughter and answered all the questions she asked. It was beginning to feel normal to have him answer her questions instead of the old aloofness she was use to.

After dinner was complete, Ranger once again offered her his arm and lead her back to the SUV. Once inside, he turned to her and asked, "Where to now?"

"Hmmm. I don't know. What do you suggest?"

"Well, I wasn't really sure how long you wanted this date to last so I didn't really make any plans other than food. But we could go catch a movie or something if you like."

Stephanie thought about it for a minute then made her own suggestion. "How about we head back to the house instead." Before Ranger could look disappointed she added, "I thought we could take a walk on the beach, and maybe do some more talking."

Ranger sent her a quick wink then started the SUV and took off in the direction of the house.

-------------------------

Afraid of spoiling the mood, Ranger and Stephanie immediately took off for the beach when they reached the house. It was still just them, and they weren't ready to join the others just yet.

They both slipped off their shoes then headed along the sand, just close enough for the water to wash over their feet. Instinctively Ranger reached for Steph's hand. She returned his grip immediately and they were soon walking down the beach as just like any other loving couple.

They walked silently for a long time simply enjoying the feeling of being near one another. When Stephanie's feet began to grow tired she asked if they could sit for a few minutes. Ranger lead her up towards the sand dunes and then removed his suit coat for them to sit on.

"Can I ask you something Stephanie?"

Startled at him using her whole name she looked at his face for a clue of what was to come. After finding none, she answered. "Of course."

"Why did you decide to ask me on a date?"

Oh God, Oh God. She said to herself. He was about to let her know that he didn't want her, that he had made a mistake and that this was all wrong.

"Steph? Hellllo? Are you still with me?" questioned Ranger after his question remained unanswered.

"Um, sorry, yeah I'm still here. I um, just was thinking. If you want to head back to the house I understand."

Ranger turned his body so he was completely facing her. "Wait. What makes you think I want to leave?"

"I assumed by your question that you weren't really have a good time."

Ranger grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "Well then you shouldn't assume. That's not what I meant. I just wondered what made you decide to ask me out. And for the record, this is the most fun I've had since we've been here."

"Oh."

Neither of them spoke for the next few minutes and then all at once they began talking at the same time.

"I've been thinking Ranger."

"I think we should stay here."

They looked at one another then again spoke simultaneously, "What?" They both asked.

"You first." said Stephanie.

"Well, I said I think we should stay here. Not forever, just for the remainder of the summer or maybe the remainder of your pregnancy. It's obvious how much more relaxed we both are. I think it would do us both some good to be out of Trenton for awhile."

"Well I wasn't expecting that."

"So what do you think? If you don't want to I'll understand and when Kat needs to head back to school we can leave as well."

Stephanie decided to not think and to rely on her instincts. "Actually, I think that sounds perfect. But on one condition."

"What?"

"As long as we can get back to Trenton in time for me to have the baby there. I want my family around me, and as much as I may dislike it, Joe should be there as well."

Ranger cringed at the mention of Joe's name then remembered that she had agreed. "It's a deal. Now what was it that you wanted to say?"

"Ok." She took a big breath, then took the leap of faith she had been waiting to do for so long. "I've been thinking a lot lately Ranger about what I want. And with some help from a good friend, I think I've finally decided."

"But?" said Ranger, feeling the interjection coming.

Stephanie grinned at his ESP. "But before I jump into this with everything I've got, there's a few things I need to say to you."

"Ok." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"First, there are some things you need to think about as well."

"Like?"

"Like the fact that everyone in Trenton is going to assume that you're the reason for my breakup with Joe."

"Since when have you known me to care what Trenton thinks of me?"

"I know that Ranger, but remember my family is Trenton. My friends are Trenton. I wish I didn't care what they thought, but I do. I don't want to start something with you if they think you are the reason for the divorce. That isn't fair to either you or them. And you must admit this is all happening awfully fast."

Ranger reached out and tucked a blowing curl behind her ear. "That makes sense. Would it help if you and I both spoke to your family when we returned. I'm sure between both of us, we could make them understand. As for it being fast, I don't think so. I've wanted this for so long I can't remember a time when I didn't crave it."

Stephanie blushed and tried to ignore his flirting. "My family is pretty stubborn Ranger."

"Yeah, but so am I."

She smiled brightly then continued. "Ok. Well there's still other things."

"Such as."

"Such as, I'm pregnant."

"Old news babe."

"Yeah, well. If we do go through with this, you know me and you, then we will need a bigger apartment. Are you willing to move for me? Right now we only have one bedroom and with a baby coming it simply wouldn't work."

"I've already thought of that Steph. Tom has called dibs on the 7th floor apartment."

"Oh. Ok. Wow, why are you making this so easy?"

Ranger pulled her closer to him. "Because it is easy Steph. I love you, I want you, and like I told you before I'm not giving up so easily this time."

Stephanie smiled but it slowly faded. "There's one more thing and this is the big one."

Ranger shifted slightly in the sand. "Lay it on me."

"It just doesn't seem fair."

"What doesn't?"

"Well, let's say for example that we do get married. You are bringing in all these cars, properties, a company, and probably more money than I can ever imagine and all I have to bring into a marriage is Rex and another man's baby."

"Steph, those are all monetary things. They don't mean anything to me. Yeah, it's nice to be able to buy the things I want and my family wants, but it doesn't mean half as much as you mean to me. Money can only afford you so much. What you give to me is worth way more than anything money could buy."

Stephanie's body softened in his arms as a small tear formed on her cheek.

"Ranger, I just don't want you to have any regrets. You could have any woman you wanted. I just don't understand why you picked me out of all the others."

"Steph, what others? You are the only woman I've thought of in the past 6 years. If it's not you, then it's no one. I've searched my whole life for you, and the only regret I could have is not having told you sooner." Ranger leaned in and gently kissed away her tears. "I love you Steph. Only you."

He pulled her further into his arms and kissed the top of her head. The waves crashed softly against the shore as he let his hands caress up and down her arms. When she shivered slightly he broke away from her. "Come on, let's head back to the house."

She stood and immediately wrapped both arms around his waist. He threw his jacket across her shoulders then placed an arm above it causing her to snuggle closer to his side. The walked as one back to the house.

-------------------------

Stephanie glanced at the clock next to the bed in the guest bedroom. It was 2:43am and she was still tossing and turning in an effort to get to sleep. She had decided not to sleep in the same bed as Ranger and he hadn't pushed the issue. She knew then, it had been a mistake.

She threw the covers from her legs, grabbed her robe and headed towards his room. She crept in quietly and watched his sleeping face for several minutes. When she could no longer wait she reached down and placed one finger across his lips. She placed her own lips next to his ear and said, "Ranger.. wake up, there's something I want to show you."

__

To Be Continued…


	14. Ch14 Fun on the Beach

__

She threw the covers from her legs, grabbed her robe and headed toward his room. She crept in quietly and watched his sleeping face for several minutes. When she could no longer wait she reached down and placed one finger across his lips. She placed her own lips next to his ear and said,

"Ranger.. wake up, there's something I want to show you."

****

Starting Over

Chapter 14

"Babe?"

"Shhh. Ranger. Just trust me."

Ranger smiled slowly then gently placed his hand into hers and allowed himself to be pulled from the bed. She tiptoed quietly down the hall, and lead him to the front door. Once they were outside and no longer worried of waking the others Ranger spoke again.

"Steph, are you trying to steal my moves?"

Stephanie glanced back at him and offered him one of her finest eye rolls. "Very funny, but I have something a little different in mind."

Ranger's interest was definitely peaked and he quickly stepped up his pace to keep up. She lead him hand-in-hand toward the coast and back to the tent where he had slept the night before. She bent down, unzipped the door, and motioned for him to move inside.

As she was securing the door behind them, Ranger once again questioned her. "Babe, I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to show me."

A small, satisfied grin settled across her lips as she turned to him. "Do you always talk this much Mr. Manaso?"

Ranger let out a small chuckle then lowered his body until he was propped on his elbows behind him. He stretched out his long legs causing Stephanie's eyes to travel the smooth length of his body. "Only when I'm dragged out of bed in the middle of the night by a beautiful woman."

Stephanie sat down beside Ranger with her knees tucked underneath her. Her face smoothed softly as she began to speak. "Well, I'm glad I could be of such amusement for you tonight, however we have other matters to discuss."

Ranger sat up as he spoke, "And what matters would that be?"

Stephanie rose to her knees and placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back into place. Her face tensed slightly as she took a deep breath while searching for her words.

"Ranger, just hear me out. I'm not real good at stuff like this, but I'd like to try."

Ranger noted the seriousness of her tone and nodded slowly. "I'm all ears Steph. I won't interrupt you again."

She waited a moment before making her next move. When she finally spoke her voice was deeper and huskier than her usual tone. "Ranger, you've done nothing short of bearing your soul to me these past couple of months. Deep down I've wanted to do the same but I've been too scared, too scared of being hurt, of hurting you. But I've realized that maybe real love is worth taking a chance on or even more, maybe real love demands we take those chances."

She shifted her position closer to him and slowly began thumbing the belt of her robe. "Joe wasn't a chance for me. He was suppose to have been a given. He was suppose to have been the one, but look where that got me. Instead of going with my instincts, I ignored them and married him anyway. That night you came to my apartment before the wedding, I wanted so much to tell you what I really wanted. I've regretted every night since, that I didn't tell you how I really felt. I can't go on regretting anymore Ric. It's time I take the leap and show you."

As her words filled the tent she threw a leg across Ranger's lap until she was straddling him. She grabbed the knot in the robe and slowly untied it. She let the soft cotton rope slide from her fingers as the fabric shifted slowly off her shoulders.

There was barely enough light for Ranger to make out the curves of her body. His hands reached up and stroked her sides, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind.

Stephanie threw her head back in pleasure as a small moan of delight escaped from her lips. She could feel Ranger growing beneath her as only his silk boxers stood between their flesh. She raised her hands to his and gentle pushed them back to his side.

"This isn't a mutual sharing thing Ranger. This is all about me showing you how I feel."

Ranger argued, "I need to feel you Babe, please let…"

Stephanie cut him off with her lips, slowly lowering her body to his. Her hair falling gracefully around her shoulders until it teased his chest. Her lips were soft and moist at first, but she thrust her body into his and the kiss quickly became more demanding. He opened his mouth to give her the access she was nearly begging for. As he slipped his tongue passed her teeth she took a deep breath and drew back from him.

"There will be time to touch me Ric, but right now I need to show you this. Please let me."

This time he didn't argue and he dropped from his elbows until he was laying completely on his back. Stephanie sat back up until she was once again straddling him. She dropped her hands to his chest and gently began stroking her nails against his skin. His body shuddered in pleasure.

"I'll never forget the first time I laid eyes on you. Connie had mentioned to me that you were attractive, she nearly even drooled as she spoke. I assumed that no one could be as gorgeous as the person she was describing, but I knew the moment I walked into that restaurant that you were the man spoke of." Stephanie leaned her body against his once again and nestled her lips against his throat. She gave him butterfly kisses that left behind a wet trail.

"It wasn't that you were simply gorgeous. It was all the confidence you carried. You sat at that table as if you owned the place. At that very moment I was captivated with you. But it wasn't until you actually agreed to help me that I knew you were meant to mean something more to me than just a friend."

Stephanie returned to the assault on his throat. She kissed and nipped at his creamy skin as he dropped his head to the side, giving her unlimited access. Only after he was nearly breathless did she speak again.

"It didn't take long for you to become an obsession for me. The more I was near you, the more I wanted to be with you. The more you touched me, the more I wanted to be touched. The more you kissed me, the more I wanted to be kissed. I tried to substitute others for you, but none of them compared."

Stephanie slide her body slowly down his until her chin rested directly between his nipples. She lifted her head and allowed her tongue to explore his left nipple, then slowly his right. She licked and sucked until his skin glistened. When the dark pink bud tightened she took it between her teeth and gave him a small nibble. He arched his back in a mixture of pleasure and pain.

"No other had skin as smooth and dark as yours. No other reacted to my touch the way you do. I gazed into their eyes, but no other's darkened with desire for me as yours does. No once else could cause my skin to ripple and melt the way your touch causes mine. Some had long hair, but none felt as soft and sensual as yours felt when it fell across my breasts when you were deep inside of me."

Ranger thrust his body slightly with her words. She had never spoken this way to him before, and they both knew at that moment that no other would ever create this much excitement for either of them again.

"When I'm alone and my hands move slowly between my legs, my thoughts are always of that one night with you. I never imagined you spoke the truth about ruining me, but that's exactly what you did. You ruined me the moment you became my friend. You ruined me the moment you showed me you had faith in me. You ruined me when you risked your life for mine and when you trusted me with yours to help when you needed it. You ruined me when you put your hands on me. You ruined me when you thrust your body into mine."

Stephanie lifted her body from his only enough to allow her hands to free him from his boxers. She grabbed his throbbing cock and gently guided it inside of her. It was hot, wet and deep all at once. They both gasped in unison.

Her voice caught as she tried to continue to speak. "I've loved you for so long that now it's hard to remember a time when I didn't love you." She lifted her body from him, then slowly settled it back against his skin.

"I don't ever want to loose you Ric. I don't think I could survive it."

In a ragged breath, Ranger finally spoke. "You'll never have to find out Stephanie." He once again trailed his fingertips along the side of her body. As she began to bounce faster atop him she grabbed his hands. Their intertwined fingers gripped harder with each stoke.

She rode him slow and deep, then faster and more shallow. She alternated her speeds and movements with each sound from his lips. When he cried for faster, she did just that. When he begged for deeper, she dug her nails into his skin and pounded his body with her own. She gave him everything he asked for and everything she could think of.

"Oh God, Stephanie I can't wait."

As soon as he said it, Stephanie dropped quickly to his chest and bit his nipple once more, this time leaving a deep impression in his skin. He gasped and thrust even further into her, spreading the orgasm throughout his body.

With a panting Ranger still inside of her, Stephanie remained pressed against his chest. She lightly stroked the unmarked nipple with her finger as she gathered the courage to finish the conversation.

"There's one more thing Ric."

"Yeah, babe?"

"Will you marry me?"

Without pausing he answered, "Yeah babe, I will." And with a quick kiss to forehead they both fell into a satisfying sleep.

-----------------------------

The following morning Stephanie awoke to the feel of a soft stroking movement on her leg. She moaned deeply but didn't move, not wanting to discourage the welcomed teasing.

Her thoughts quickly turned to the previous night. They had slept only briefly, waking up at different intervals to once again make love. Ranger had more than once returned the same sentiments she had given him. The night had been nearly perfect, and the sated smile of Stephanie's face admitted just that.

"Mmmm, Ranger I can't believe you're ready for more." Stephanie said enjoying the continued assault on her leg. Her head was cuddled in the bend of his shoulder while her leg was tossed completely across his lap.

In a sleepy voice, "whad'ya say babe?"

"I said I can't believe you're ready for more. I love what you're doing to my leg."

Still too sleepy to completely comprehend Ranger asked, "What are you talking about? I'm not touching your leg?"

Stephanie's body froze stiff. "If you aren't touching me, then what's on my leg?"

Ranger lifted his head and looked down at her. "Don't worry babe, it's just a little crab. I'll get…"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" In a series of quick, neurotic movements Stephanie was on her feet and screaming. She shook her hair, rubbed her arms along her body and did everything she could think of to get the critter off of her. Before Ranger could gather himself to help her she had unzipped the tent and ran at full force towards the house.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Her screams continued until she slammed the front door of the house and collapsed her head against it. She stayed still only for a few moments, because before she could completely calm down she was startled by the sound of glass breaking behind her.

Stephanie jumped and turned around quickly to find herself facing Lenny and the boys. All three of them stared at her with their mouths nearly on the floor. It was only then that Stephanie realized she had made her brave escape from the crab wearing nothing more than a few grains of sand.

__

To Be Continued…


	15. Ch15 A Naked Suprise

__

Stephanie jumped and turned around quickly to find herself facing Lenny and the boys. All three of them stared at her with their mouths nearly on the floor. It was only then that Stephanie realized she had made her brave escape from the crab wearing nothing more than a few grains of sand.

****

Chapter 15

Frozen in horror, Stephanie stared open-mouthed into the eyes of her best friend's family. Naked as the day she was born, Stephanie's body was displayed for them all to see. Time had momentarily stopped but quickly returned to normal when Mary Lou screamed so loud the windows shook. A few seconds later, Ranger bounded through the front door with Steph's robe draped across his arm.

Mary Lou stopped screaming the moment Ranger strode through the door wearing nothing but silk boxers. In that instant, she forgot she was a mother, a wife and a friend and quickly took the same dumbfounded stance the rest of her family were posing.

Ranger quickly wrapped the robe around Stephanie. "You forgot this babe."

"Um, yeah. I figured that out." Stephanie blushed.

Mary Lou, Lenny and the boys remained frozen in place. Ranger shifted uncomfortably when he noticed Mary Lou's eyes were firmly placed on his crotch.

He leaned into Stephanie's ear. "Um, babe. Will you do something about this?"

Stephanie tied the sash to her robe in a triple knot and then clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

Everyone jumped. The boys started to giggle while Lenny turned around and refused to make eye contact with anyone in the room. Mary Lou licked her lips, then pulled herself together.

"Stephanie Plum, would you like to explain yourself?" she said as she crossed her arms in mock anger.

Just as she was about to explain Mikey interrupted by jerking on his father's sleeve. "Daddy, daddy. Did you see that? I saw Aunt Steph's boobies!"

"Me too!," exclaimed Sean.

Ranger reared his head back with laughter and Mary Lou shooed the two small boys out of the room. When she returned, Stephanie explained what had happened and the foursome roared in laughter with Lenny's eyes still steadily focused on the nearby wall.

-------------------

The remainder of the week went by uneventful. The big group of friends hung out at the house, spent time playing in the sand and easily fell into the lazy flow of the beach life.

"I can't believe the week's already over." Mary Lou whined as she packed up her clothes.

"Tell me about it. I've had a blast. I'm so glad you and Lenny agreed to come." Stephanie said as she lounged on the bed watching Mary Lou fold and refold clothes.

"Are you kidding? We wouldn't have missed this for the world. I just wish we could stay a little longer."

"Me too. Especially since Ranger's daughter is coming tomorrow. Are you sure you have to leave?"

"Unfortunately we do. I can't believe they called Lenny to come back into work a week early but it was fun while it lasted. Maybe we can do it again sometime. But forget us, what's this about Ranger's daughter? You aren't still stressing over that are you? She's going to adore you."

"I hope so Lou, but what if she doesn't? I've agreed to spend the rest of my life with Ranger, but what happens if she hates me? He can't spend forever keeping his wife and daughter apart."

Giving up hope of being neat, Mary Lou balled up the remaining clothes and shoved them into the suitcase. "That's not going to happen Steph. Just be yourself and she's bound to like you."

"I hope you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I was right about Ranger and I'm right about this. Now stop being silly and help me carry these bags down stairs." Mary Lou laughed.

"No can do. I'm with child, remember. No heavy lifting." Steph smiled as she picked up a makeup case and walked through the door.

"Bum." Mary Lou mumbled as Steph walked passed.

-------------------

Stephanie and Ranger stood arm in arm as they waved Lenny, Mary Lou and the kids off. They stood in the driveway until the SUV was out of sight and then they made their way into the house.

As the door clicked close, Ranger reached around Steph's waist and pulled her back against him. He dropped his head to her shoulder then whispered, "Here we are in this big house all alone. What should we do?"

Stephanie stood still thinking of her options.

"Babe?" Ranger asked after a full minute of silence.

"Just weighing the options Ric."

Ranger released her then turned her until they were facing one another. "Exactly how many options are there?"

Stephanie smiled then placed her hands on his shoulders to pull him a step closer. "Well, the obvious one is to strip you naked and do you right here on the floor."

Ranger reached around and cupped Steph's butt firmly in his hands. "Something wrong with that plan?"

Stephanie thought again for a minute then explained. "Not really, but there are other things to consider."

"Like?"

"Like, it's been nearly four hours since I've eaten and I'm already on the verge of starvation. Like the fact that there's a nice soft bed upstairs that would be a lot more comfortable than the floor. Like the fact that I'm really pregnant and I feel fat and bloated and I'm not sure if I want you to see me naked right now."

"Are you finished?" Ranger questioned.

"Yes."

"Ok, then how about this. Let's make some dinner so you don't die of malnutrition. We'll take it upstairs and eat in the bed, that way it won't take so long to get to the dessert."

"That sounds great, but you forgot the fat and bloated part."

"No I didn't." Ranger stepped closer and began to grind his hips against hers. "I don't care if you are fat and bloated because I'm going to worship your body anyway. And for the record, you aren't fat. You're pregnant and that kind of goes with the territory."

"Well if you insist. But I must warn you, I'm not feeling very sexy." she whined.

"Well don't worry about not feeling sexy, just worry about feeling me. I'll show you sexy." And with his words, he let his mouth claim hers. The kiss was hot, wet and lasting. His body pushed against hers with a force and desire neither of them had felt in awhile. She nearly collapsed in his arms when his tongue touched hers. His strong arms snaked up her body and steadied her in place. When they pulled apart each were nearly gasping for air.

------------------

An hour and a half later, Stephanie moaned with each bite.

"You didn't moan that loud for me? It's only a sandwich you know." Ranger said sounding defeated.

Stephanie laughed then nudged him with her foot. "Don't blame me for that, it's hard to moan with my mouth full."

Ranger's face darkened as he crawled up the bed towards her. Stopping to lick off the mustard on her cheek he smiled before speaking. "That's true, but you certainly do other things very well when your mouth's full."

Stephanie laughed then took another bite of her sandwich preventing Ranger from moving in for a kiss.

Once again acting defeated, Ranger laid beside her resting his head on her belly. He slowly rubbed small circles around her new roundness.

Stephanie watched him as a smile crept across his face.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

Leaving his eyes focused on her belly he answered, "Just thinking about how cool it's going to be when the baby gets here."

Stephanie stiffened and Ranger noticed the tension. "What's wrong?"

Stephanie turned away from him and stared out the window. "I'm scared."

Ranger crawled towards her once again, settling beside her and pulling her body into his embrace. "Nothing wrong with being scared. It's perfectly normal."

Stephanie rolled over so she was facing him. "What if I turn out to be a terrible mother?"

Ranger shook his head, "Not possible. You have too big of a heart not to be a terrific mom."

"But I'm not sure if I can even change a diaper."

Ranger grabbed her hand and lifted it to his mouth, kissing it lightly. "Then I'll teach you how."

"What if it starts crying and I can't get it to stop?"

He placed another kiss to the palm of her hand. "Then I'll buy us some really great earmuffs."

"What if it gets sick and I don't know how to make it better."

"Babe, that's what doctors are for. Stop worrying about it. I promise that I will be right by your side the entire way and if something comes up we don't know how to handle then your mom and sister will be there to help out."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It won't be easy all the time, but it won't be terrible either. This is going to be a great journey for us both."

"How can you be so sure?" She asked as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Ranger wiped the moisture away with his thumb then placed his palm against her cheek. "Because I'm sure about us. I know that as long as we are together we can handle anything."

"God I love you." she said, sniffing away the tears.

"Good. Because I love you too and we're going to get married. And you're going to have this baby and I'm going to do everything I can to help you."

Stephanie smiled with his words. "I don't deserve you."

"Stop being stupid. You deserve a lot more than me and I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to prove that to you."

Stephanie decided not to argue and instead curled up in Ranger's arms. He pulled her in tightly and gently stroked her back until she drifted off to sleep.

---------------------------

When Stephanie woke up a couple of hours later she realized she was all alone. She set off in search of Ranger and found him on the patio by the pool reading a book. She took a seat at the foot of his lounge chair.

"Nice nap?" he asked.

"Very nice. I'm sorry about earlier."

"Sorry for what? I told you it was ok if you still didn't want to try the butt stuff."

Stephanie slapped him across the chest. "Not that! I was talking about me being a crybaby."

Ranger smiled then pulled her on top of him. "Never apologize for sharing your feelings with me. That's what husbands or soon-to-be-husbands are for."

Pushing up from his chest she met his gaze. "Speaking of being engaged, we have a few things to talk about."

"Sure babe, but I don't think people are going to buy it if you wear white."

She smacked him once again. "Can you be serious for a minute please?" she laughed.

"Anything for you. What's on your mind."

Stephanie stood and began to pace back and forth in front of him. "Well, for one, your daughter. Have you decided what you are going to tell her about me?"

Ranger smiled, "Nothing to tell. She pretty much knows everything already."

"You told her we were engaged?" she sounded startled.

"Of course I did. I told her the very next day."

"Oh. What did she say."

Ranger reached out and grabbed her hand pulling her back into his lap. "Stop worrying. She's happy for us and she's really excited to meet you."

"She is?"

"Of course she is. Between myself, Tank and the other guys she knows all about you."

"You told her about me and she's still ok with us getting married?"

Ranger laughed, "Of course she's ok with it. She knows I love you and have loved you for a very long time. She wants me to be happy and she knows that you are good for me. So stop worrying. You'll see for yourself when she gets here tomorrow. She's probably just as nervous about meeting you as you are about meeting her."

"Why on earth would she be nervous about meeting me?"

"Because you're going to be her stepmother silly. It wouldn't be a lot of fun for her if you turned out to be the evil step mother who refused to let her go to the ball."

Stephanie laughed, "You know Cinderella?"

"Of course I do. That was Kat's favorite story when she was a little girl. I probably read that to her a hundred times."

Stephanie stood and once again started pacing.

"Now what?" Ranger questioned.

"There's still a lot of stuff we need to deal with Ric."

"Like what?"

"Like Joe."

Ranger sat up, "What about Joe?"

"As much as I may not like it, he is this baby's father."

"I know that and I would never try to prevent him from being a part of his or her life."

Stephanie smiled and tried to relax. "I know you wouldn't, that's not what I'm worried about."

Ranger walked to her, "Then what are you worried about?"

"Doesn't it bother you that Joe is always going to be a part of my life? This baby will tie us together forever. I know that you two have never really liked each other. I would give anything to never have to see him again but unfortunately that can't happen."

"Don't worry about me and Joe. You're right I never liked him but that's just because I was so damned jealous."

Stephanie blinked, "You? Jealous of Joe?"

"Of course I was jealous. It use to make me nuts that you were with him and not me. Before you came along Joe and I got along fine but the moment he found out I was helping you, things changed. After that, whenever I ran into him he would make a point to mention you. Just his way of letting me know to keep my hands to myself."

Stephanie seemed stunned. "I can't believe you were jealous of him."

Ranger slide his arms around her waist, "Well I was, but you don't have to worry about that now. You're mine."

"That doesn't help the fact that he's still going to be a part of my life."

"Listen Steph, I know where you're coming from but it's not going to be a problem. We are all adults and we will all do what's best for this child. Trust me on that."

"You're right."

"Of course I'm right. Now is there anything else we need to discuss?"

Stephanie recognized his wolf grin and fell into his chest. "Nope, I think we got it all straightened out. Wanna go upstairs?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

__

To Be Continued….


	16. Ch16 Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

__

Stephanie recognized his wolf grin and fell into his chest. "Nope, I think we got it all straightened out. Wanna go upstairs?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

****

Chapter 16

The following morning, Ranger woke up slowly. His eyes were thick with gunk and his breath could bend steel. Before forcing his eyes completely open he rolled over to face Stephanie's side of the bed and tossed his arm over expecting it to land on her waist. Instead it hit nothing but a cold, empty mattress.

As he sat up in bed he noticed the blur of activity he normally called Steph.

"What are you doing babe?" he asked.

Stephanie didn't even slow down. "Can't talk Ranger, too much to do." Then she opened a dresser drawer, grabbed an armful of clothes and carried it out of the room.

Ranger watched her carry the clothes into the room across the hall, open a drawer and toss them inside. She then turned, returned to the room he was in and begin the process once more. When she walked past the bed a third time he grabbed her arm and gave her a gentle tug onto the bed. She flopped backwards and bounced a few times before settling. Just as Ranger was leaning in for a kiss Steph screamed, "No Ric! You'll squish my hair!"

When Ranger pulled away to stare at her, she slithered loose from his grasp and off the bed.

"I spent an hour getting all the frizziness out of my hair. And I refuse to let you muck it up," she said before grabbing an armful of clothes from the closet and walking out of the room.

Ranger was too confused to speak so he merely watched her as she made the repeated trip between bedrooms. But once she started grabbing her stuff from the bathroom, Ranger couldn't keep his questions to himself any longer.

"Um, babe. Refresh my memory. Did I do or say something stupid?"

"What are you rambling about Ranger?" she asked as she carried her cosmetics into a second bathroom across the hall.

"Did I do something to make you mad Steph?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" she replied as she returned for another load of stuff.

When she stepped back into the bathroom, Ranger took the opportunity to pin her inside. With his wide, muscular body blocking her she didn't have any other option than to stop and listen.

"Steph, why are you moving out of my room?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "You didn't really expect me to sleep in the same room as you with your daughter here, did you?"

"Um, yeah I did. Why is that a problem?"

"Get serious Ranger! I refuse to act like a giant slut in front of your daughter, what kind of example would that set?" she exclaimed.

Ranger laughed. "Babe, Kat's 12 years old and she's not stupid."

Stephanie stared at him in horror. "Do you mean she knows we have… s-e-x."

Ranger laughed again. "First of all, she can read so the spelling bad word thing won't be effective with her. And secondly, she doesn't know the specific details but I'm sure she'll put two and two together."

"But I want to make a good impression." she explained.

Ranger wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "Steph, please try to calm down. She's going to love you nearly as much as I do. I don't like to hide things from her so I refuse to spend the week pretending to be someone I'm not around her. Besides, we're engaged so it's not nearly as scandalous as you're making it out to be."

Stephanie poked him in the chest with his finger. "Well, if you're sure Ranger. You know her better than I do, so I'll follow your lead."

"Perfect." he said into her hair.

"But if the tables were turned and it was my family visiting, you'd be spending the night on the couch."

Ranger laughed again than slowly slide his hands up to her sides and began tickling her. Stephanie laughed and squirmed until she didn't think she'd be able to breath.

When he finally released her she grabbed his hand and steered him towards the bed. Because of her hour-long hairdo, she insisted on being on top.

That afternoon came much too quick for Stephanie, and not near quick enough for Ranger.

"Excellent. See you guys soon." Ranger said into the phone before turning towards Stephanie. "Tank says they're about 20 minutes from the house."

Stephanie sighed nervously but Ranger had her in his arms within seconds and she immediately relaxed.

"I bet I can think of a way to help you relax." he whispered in her ear.

She swatted him on the chest and stepped out of his grasp. "We don't have time for that Ranger."

"Time for what babe? I was talking about a back rub." He laughed. "I never knew you were such a pervert Ms. Plum."

Stephanie laughed too and she nearly forgot why she was so nervous.

Twenty-five minutes later, Ranger was seated on the porch swing rubbing gentle circles on Steph's back who was seated at his feet.

Suddenly, he felt her muscles tense just before she jumped up and shouted. "They're here!"

__

To Be Continued…


	17. Ch17 Girl Talk

__

Twenty-five minutes later, Ranger was seated on the porch swing rubbing gentle circles on Steph's back who was seated at his feet.

Suddenly, he felt her muscles tense just before she jumped up and shouted. "They're here!"

Chapter 17

"Stop fidgeting." Ranger said as he stood beside Stephanie in the driveway.

As soon as the car came to a stop all four doors jerked open at the same time. Tank jumped out of the driver's seat, a small black haired woman got out of the passenger side and two young girls exited from the rear doors.

Ranger stepped forward to greet the guests. One of the young girls rushed passed him yelling, "Move it! I've got to pee!"

Stephanie stepped to the side just in time to prevent being knocked over by the running adolescent.

The black haired woman was next in line. Her mouth was spewing something that sounded a lot like Italian profanities at about 90 miles per hour. When she stepped in front of Ranger she stopped talking briefly, gave him a peck on the cheek, said "It's great seeing you Ric," then just as quickly started yelling Italian once again.

She brushed past Stephanie without speaking and nearly ran into the house.

When Stephanie whirled back around toward Ranger he was busy doing a complicated, manly handshake with Tank. When they were finished Tank walked up to Steph and proceeded to squeeze the daylights out of her. He finally put her down when she smacked him on the back as an indication that she needed air. Before he entered the house, he turned around and said in her direction, "Sorry about my wife. She's Italian and hormonal."

"I heard that Thomas!" yelled a thick Italian accent from inside the house.

Stephanie laughed as she watched Tank pale a few shades before sulking through the front door.

When she put her attention back on Ranger she saw the other girl wrapped around his body. Ranger had lifted her up into a bear hug and was swaying her from side to side. The sight caused Stephanie's heart to skip.

Ranger finally placed her back on the ground then turned toward Steph.

"Kat, this is Steph. Babe, this is my daughter." he said in way of an introduction.

Not knowing exactly what to do, Stephanie took a few steps toward the young girl and extended her hand. They shook awkwardly until Ranger laughed.

"Don't worry, things will get more comfortable soon. We just need to get to know each other." He said.

Stephanie shook her head in agreement as Ranger walked up beside her and snaked an arm around her waist. She instinctively leaned into him for support.

Kat smiled at their embrace then turned around to face the house. With her back turned she said, "I can't believe you bought this one dad."

Ranger smiled, "I know you liked it and I'd do anything to make my little girl happy."

Kat turned around quickly as tears began to pool in her eyes. She sent a death glare towards Ranger and yelled "I'm _NOT_ a little girl," at the top of her lungs. She turned quickly and ran inside the house leaving Ranger and Steph alone once again on the front porch.

Stephanie stood frozen, too scared to speak. Ranger gave her a gentle squeeze and said, "Well, that went well."

He too was apparently in shock.

-------------------------

Ranger grabbed Steph's hand and pulled her slowly towards the door. Even with it closed they could hear the impending chaos from inside. With one last kiss to Steph's neck Ranger sighed deeply then turned the knob.

As they stepped inside they found Tank and his wife standing toe-to-toe yelling at one another. Neither of the girls were anywhere in sight.

"Do they do this a lot?" Stephanie whispered to Ranger.

"Only three or four times a day" was his answer.

Ranger closed the door with a little more force than was necessary and startled the couple into silence. A silence that was very short-lived, because when Tank's wife noticed Ranger was in the room she placed her hands on her hips and marched directly towards him.

"Ranger, what did you say to her!" she screamed.

"Who?" Ranger asked with a bewildered look on his face.

"Who? Who? He asks. Kat of course! Or didn't you notice that she just ran into the house crying her eyes out."

"Well of course I noticed, but all I did was call her 'my little girl'."

The spunky Italian rolled her eyes at Ranger then dramatically tossed her arms into the air. She gave Stephanie a quick glance, then once again started screaming Italian obscenities.

Stephanie eyed her as she walked circles around the room. Every few seconds she would turn to Tank and point then she would alternate and point at Ranger. Finally, she eyed Stephanie but instead of pointing she walked up to her and gently placed her hands on Steph's cheeks. The crazed woman smiled softly at Stephanie and for the first time since getting out of the car, she didn't speak. The two women eyed one another for what felt like an eternity. Neither spoke but somehow they both seemed to understand completely what the other was thinking.

Tank's wife released Steph's face and turned towards the men. "You two, go out and pick up some dinner."

Tank moaned, "Can't we just fix something here, I'm beat."

Stephanie watched intently as his wife crossed her arms and glared at him from across the room. When she spoke again, her Italian accent was even thicker than before. "I need to not see your face for awhile."

Tank began to speak then quickly thought better of it. Instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out the car keys. He tossed them to Ranger as he started heading towards the door. "You drive," was the only thing Tank said before leaving as his wife had demanded.

When the men were finally gone, the Italian turned to Stephanie.

"Sorry about that. Sometimes I just want to kill him. Anyway, my name's Anna and you must be Stephanie."

"The one and only."

Anna smiled, "I can't believe it took this long for us to meet. I've heard all about you."

"Oh?"

Anna laughed, "Don't worry. It was all good of course. Tom adores you, he has for years."

"I wish I could say that I know all about you as well, but…" Stephanie let her words trail off.

"No worries dear. I've known Ric for a long time and I know how secretive he can be. Tom is a lot like him in many ways. So, let's not fret over it now. We have a ton of time to get to know one another. But first, we have some business to take care of." Anna said as she nodded towards the stairs.

Stephanie followed closely behind Anna as they made their way to Kat's bedroom. The door was cracked slightly and they could both make out the sounds of sniffs.

Anna pushed the door open carefully revealing Kat and the other young girl embracing on the bed. Tears were still rolling down Kat's face.

"Stephanie, let me introduce you to my daughter. This is Samantha." Anna said.

The girls parted and Samantha rose from the bed to shake Stephanie's hand.

"Hi." she said firmly. "You can call me Sam. Everyone does."

"Well nice to meet you Sam." Stephanie replied.

"We'll talk more later," Anna said, "but right now we need to find out what's going on with Ms. Kat."

Anna took a seat on the bed next to Kat and slowly began stroking the girl's knee.

Kat sniffed twice before speaking, "Everyone still thinks of me as a little kid."

"That's a pretty broad generalization. I don't think you're a little kid and I don't think Stephanie does either."

Stephanie nodded in agreement.

"So why don't you be more specific and tell us who thinks of you that way, and why it matters." Anna asked.

Kat shrugged her shoulders, unwilling to give the answers.

Sam spoke up. "Come on Kat. Just tell them."

Finally Kat looked up and said, "Jason Myers."

"And who is Jason Myers?" asked Anna.

"He's.. he's…" Kat said before breaking down into tears once again.

Sam finished for her. "Jason Myers is a sophomore that Kat's crazy about."

Anna smiled, "Ohhhh…. an upperclassman. I've always had a thing for older men too honey."

"You have?" Kat asked between sobs.

"Oh yeah. My first boyfriend was 17. I was only 15 at the time but back then that age difference was huge."

"What happened?" Kat asked.

"Well we dated for 6 months. Went to movies together, hung out at the mall until one day he decides that I'm too immature for him."

"He broke up with you?" Kat sounded astonished.

"Yup. Broke up with me one day and asked out Patty Mahoney the very next day. I was so devastated that I cried for a solid week." Anna explained.

"What did you do?"

"Well, after I finished crying I decided to make him regret breaking up with me. I put on my best jeans and my cutest top and called up all of my girlfriends. We headed down to the mall and waited for him to show up. When we saw him come around the corner we all just started laughing like we had just heard the funniest joke ever. Then when he looked in my direction it happened."

"What?" Kat asked excitedly.

"I just smiled at him, turned, and walked away." said Anna.

"And then he started liking you again?"

"Heavens no. I was too busy trying to hurry away that I ran right into someone."

"Who? Who did you run into?" asked Sam, also getting into the story.

"I ran into the cutest, funniest, most charming boy in the entire school."

"So what happened?" Kat asked, no longer crying.

"Well, after we picked ourselves up off the floor he asked me to go to the movies with him."

"What did you say?" Sam asked, her eyes huge with anticipation.

"Well, I said yes of course. So we went to the movies. Then he asked me on another date, then another, and another. Two years later he asked me to go to his senior prom, then two years after that he asked me to marry him."

"Awwwww." said Sam, Kat and Stephanie all in unison.

"So what happened to that other fella?" Stephanie asked.

Anna laughed. "Last I heard he was fat, balding and living with 4 cats."

Stephanie smiled. "So the 'one that got away' wasn't such a catch after all?"

"Nope. And I thank God everyday that he had enough sense to dump me all those years ago."

"Thanks Anna." Kat said as she reached across the bed to give the woman a hug.

"You're welcome sweetie. Are you feeling better now?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok. And Stephanie I'm sorry I was so ugly downstairs. I usually don't behave like a brat." Kat said.

"Don't worry about it. I know first hand that guys can be dopes so you have nothing to apologize for. I'm just glad you're feeling better now."

"I am. But I am kinda hungry."

"Your dad and Tank have gone to pick up some dinner. Why don't we all change into our swimsuits and we'll eat outside by the pool." said Stephanie.

"Great idea!" yelled Sam.

When Stephanie and Anna were out in the hall Stephanie stopped and asked, "Was there really an older guy?"

Anna smiled, "Oh yes. There was an older guy. Everything I said was true except for the answer I gave you."

"So what really happen to him?" Stephanie asked.

Anna paused then smiled, "I just sent him out with my husband to pick up dinner."

__

To Be Continued…


	18. Ch18 Change in Plans

__

"So what really happen to him?" Stephanie asked.

Anna paused then smiled, "I just sent him out with my husband to pick up dinner."

Chapter 18

By the time Ranger and Tank returned with an armload of food, Stephanie and Anna were lounging by the pool sipping large, frozen drinks.

"Babe is that alcoholic?" Ranger asked as he placed the bags of food on the glass top table.

Stephanie rolled her eyes and ignored the question. Anna, on the other hand, decided to have some fun.

"Ric does Stephanie look like an idiot to you?" she asked.

Ranger crossed his arms and sighed, shaking his head no.

"Then stop treating her like one." Anna replied before taking a huge sip of her drink.

Ranger took a few steps toward Stephanie and leaned down until his lips touched her ear. "Any chance I could talk you out of speaking to her?"

Stephanie tossed her head back and laughed. "No way! I think we are going to be the best of friends." she replied before giving Ranger a quick peck on the nose.

Tank placed his bags on the table then clapped Ranger on the back. "Come on big guy, let's get ourselves something to drink while these ladies talk about us."

When the two men disappeared back inside the house Anna nodded to Steph in their direction. "Tank's a smart man. Don't worry about Ric, you'll have him trained in no time."

Stephanie smiled then quickly frowned after the large gulp of the frozen Kool-Aid sent sharp pains across her forehead.

------------------------------------

"I'm thinking it wasn't a good idea to introduce those two." noted Ranger as he pulled two beers from the freezer.

"Do you think we actually could have prevented it?" replied Tank.

Ranger thought about it for a minute. "I could have sent you out of the country for a few years."

Tank laughed, grabbed the beer from Ranger and headed back towards the pool.

Ranger was right on his heels when he heard Kat and Sam bound down the stairs. He turned to greet the girls and was stunned at the sight before him. He had expected to see the two small girls from earlier, but what he now faced was something far worse.

Kat and Sam were both wearing two piece bathing suits and both were filling out each piece nearly perfectly. Ranger's mouth hit the floor, and just as he was about to ask Kat what had happened to his little girl, she spoke.

"Daddy where's the food. We're starving!"

"O…Out back on the patio." he stuttered.

The girls bounced passed him and through the large glass doors leading to the pool.

Ranger took a moment to gather himself before he joined the others.

Stephanie spoke first when Ranger took the seat next to her. "Are you ok Ric. You look like you've seen a ghost."

Ranger lifted his eyes to her and tried to smile. "I'm fine."

Not believing him, Stephanie placed her hand gently on his arm. "What's wrong?"

Snapping back to reality, Ranger shrugged then whispered, "Nothing babe, we'll talk later."

Stephanie shrugged then proceeded to change the subject. "Ok then, why don't you tell me about the time you and Anna dated?"

Ranger frowned then settled in for a very uncomfortable evening.

------------------------

That night, as they laid wrapped in each other's arms Stephanie laughed when Ranger finally told her what had happened.

"What did you expect Ranger? For her to stay your little girl forever?" she teased.

"Well of course not, but I just never imagined that it would happen so soon."

"What were you doing and thinking about at that age? I bet it wasn't too far from what you saw with Kat and Sam today."

When Ranger thought back to his early years, the color in his face once again faded. "Oh god." He said, sounding panicked.

Stephanie laughed again and didn't stop until Ranger claimed her mouth with his own. After that, all the laughing stopped for the night.

------------------------------

The next three weeks went by in a blur of activity. The group of six played together, ate together and thoroughly enjoyed being with one another. They took on the roles of tourist and played the part to perfection. Stephanie, Anna, and the girls shopped until there was no more room in the car to store packages.

Ranger and Tank tried their hand at golf. Thirty minutes into the round, Tank cursed loudly then proceeded to toss his clubs into the nearby pond. And fifteen minutes after that, both men were shown the door and asked to never return to the country club.

The days were filled with fun by the pool and surf lessons in the ocean. The evenings were spent dining on a sound front pier or grilling burgers next to the pool.

Stephanie let out a sigh of contentment as she relaxed in a beach chair watching the waves roll closer and closer. She was so calm and at ease that she didn't even hear Ranger approach.

"Enjoying yourself babe?"

She smiled and let her eyes roam slowly up his body. "Oh yeah. I love it here."

"I do too. We'll make it a tradition to return here every summer."

Stephanie smiled, "I like the idea of us having traditions."

Ranger offered her a hand, which she gladly accepted as she rose to her feet. "Walk with me." He said as he slid an arm around her waist.

With his hand wrapped around her back and her hand dropping to the back pocket of his jean shorts they set out down the beach. The cool water lapped over their bare feet causing them to sink deeper into the sand. There pace was slow as the tide and neither of them seemed in a hurry to change it.

"Something's come up Steph." Ranger said softly.

Stephanie glanced down and then elbowed him in the stomach. "You can't be serious, we did it four times last night." she replied.

"Babe. I wasn't talking about that."

"Oh."

Ranger laughed, "I swear you're a bigger flirt than I am."

"Well, you're to blame. I wasn't this way before I met you. But anyway, what's come up?"

Ranger pulled her closer to him and once again lowered his voice.

"Have I ever told you about Kat's stepdad?"

"You mentioned that her mother remarried but that was about all."

"Well, they've been married about three years now. His name is Daniel and he's really a good guy. I was actually the person that introduced them. I met Daniel in the Army when we served in the Gulf together. Eva and I had been divorced for about two years when I was sent overseas."

Stephanie slowed down and took Ranger by the hand, guiding him to a spot in the sand. He followed her lead and took a seat next to her.

"Continue." she said once they were settled.

"The first year after our divorce was hell. We hardly spoke to one another. We shared custody of Kat and when I would go pick her up for a visit Eva and I almost always got into an argument. This went on for a solid year until one day I stopped by to pick up Kat and Eva answered the door in tears. I asked her what had happened, fearing that something was wrong with Kat. She told me that Kat asked her that morning why her and daddy were always yelling at one another.

We both knew at that moment something had to change. So we made a pact that no matter what, we would do whatever it took to be friends. And since that day we have been.

Jump ahead a year to when I was sent to the Gulf. When we arrived, we were stationed in a small area just outside of Baghdad. It was only my unit and one other. There was a total of 35 of us together in this tiny little space. We ate together, slept next to each other, and in general aggravated the hell out of one another. But because there was no one else around but the enemy we were forced to befriend one another. That's were I met Daniel. The moment I met him, I knew he was perfect for Eva. She wanted the cute little house including the picket fence along with 2.5 kids. Daniel wanted the same thing. Their senses of humor was nearly identical and they both seemed to enjoy the same things. So a month after meeting Daniel, I wrote to Eva and told her I had found the man she was going to marry."

"How did she take that?" Stephanie asked.

"Just like I had expected her too. She told me I was nuts."

"So what did you do?"

"Well, I decided to go another route. I showed Daniel her picture and spent the next 8 months of our tour telling him about how great she was."

"I never would have pegged you as a matchmaker." Stephanie said.

"I didn't see it that way. I just knew that those two people would get along so great that I had to do something. So when we returned to the States I planned a barbeque at my house and invited them both."

"How did that go? We're they surprised?" Steph asked.

"Yeah. They both wanted to kill me when they realized I had set them up, but that got over it pretty quick. They spent the entire afternoon talking to one another. They planned a date for the next day and then three months later they were engaged. The rest is history, as they say."

"What happened?" Stephanie asked, becoming concerned with the sudden change in Ranger's mood.

"Eva called me about thirty minutes ago. Daniel's unit has been called up. He's being sent to Iraq in a month."

"Oh God Ranger. She must be a mess. Why did he decide to stay in the Army?"

"She is. And the Army is what he knows. His dad and grandfather were both Rangers. He's just following in their footsteps but he told me a couple of months ago that he was going to retire when this tour was over."

"When is that?"

"January." Ranger answered.

"So there's no way he can get out of going?" Stephanie asked.

Ranger shook his head. "Even if there was, he wouldn't do it. Daniel would never turn his back on his responsibility. He takes his Army life very seriously. If it wasn't for Eva he would probably never retire. But they are wanting to have more kids so he was going to try his hand at being a civilian for the sake of his family."

"Have you told Kat yet?" Steph asked.

"No. I wanted to talk to you first." Ranger said.

"What do I have to do with it?"

"The reason Eva called was because she wanted Kat to come home early for the summer."

"I can understand that. I'm sure she'll want to spend time with Daniel before he leaves."

"Yeah, I know she will." Ranger said as his voice began to trail away.

Stephanie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "But you don't want to give up any of your time with her either?" She asked, although it was a question that didn't need answering.

Ranger sighed. "Does that make me a horrible person?"

"Of course not, it just means you love your daughter."

"I don't get to see her very much as it is, so it really hurts when our time gets cut short, no matter what the reason is." Ranger explained.

Stephanie pulled away so she could meet his eyes. "What if she could spend time with both you and Daniel?"

"How?" Ranger asked.

Stephanie smiled, "I've always wanted to see Miami."

"Babe." Ranger said before he pulled her face to his for a kiss.

When he pulled away, they were both breathless. "I don't deserve you." Ranger said.

"That may be true. After all, I'm agreeing to visit your ex-wife when I'm about to get really, really fat."

"Not fat babe, you're pregnant there's a difference." Ranger said as he placed his hand on her slightly rounding belly. "And maybe we won't have to visit her. You gave me an idea." He said as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

-------------------------

"Don't worry sweetie, he's going to be fine. Daniel's the best soldier I know." Ranger said as he rocked Kat in his arms.

She sniffed against his chest and tried to stop crying. "I know."

Ranger brushed her hair behind her ear as he kept her cradled against him. "Are you ok?"

Kat shook her head slowly.

"Want to go tell the others about our change in plans?"

Kat sniffed once again and said, "Yeah, I'd like to leave as soon as we can."

Ranger smiled and pulled them both off the bed. He held her hand tight in his own as he lead her into the living room to join the others.

Everyone looked up as they entered. "Change in plans everyone." Ranger said. "Daniel is being sent to Iraq and Kat wants to spend time with him before we leave."

Anna gasped then jumped from the chair, rushing the girl. She wrapped her in her arms and said, "We need to get packing then. How long will it take us to get to Miami?"

Ranger smiled, "We aren't going to Miami. I figured Daniel might want to spend some time with his family in New York before he goes so I've offered him and Eva use of one of my apartments. They're going to stay in Trenton until he has to leave. That way he can spend time with both his family and Kat."

Stephanie smiled as she walked towards Ranger, sliding her arms around his waist. When he met her gaze she said, "Let's go home Ric."

__

To Be Continued…


	19. Ch19 The EX

__

Ranger smiled, "We aren't going to Miami. I figured Daniel might want to spend some time with his family in New York before he goes so I've offered him and Kat use of one of my apartments. They're going to stay in Trenton until he has to leave. That way he can spend time with both his family and Kat."

Stephanie smiled as she walked towards Ranger, sliding her arms around his waist. When he met her gaze she said, "Let's go home Ric."

Chapter 19

By the time they arrived home, everyone was beat. Stephanie and Kat walked straight through the front door and flopped down on opposite ends of the couch. Ranger took refuge in the large chair nearby. They remained silent until Stephanie's stomach grumbled for some attention.

"Guess we should feed her." Ranger said to Kat.

"Yeah, she seems to get grumpy when she doesn't eat on time." Kat commented.

"Hey! I'm sitting right here." Stephanie whined.

"Babe, you know it's true." Ranger laughed.

Stephanie thought for a minute, then shrugged and said, "So what are we having?"

"Pizza." Kat said.

"Chinese." answered Ranger.

"Donuts." Stephanie added.

"Anyone willing to budge?" asked Ranger.

Stephanie and Kat both shook their heads no.

Ranger huffed then said, "Fine. I'll call in the orders and go pick it up. And Steph, you have to eat something besides donuts."

Stephanie pouted, "Fine, get me some Sesame Chicken and 2 Boston Crèmes and a chocolate glaze."

"Babe." was all he said before grabbing his keys and walked back out the door.

---------------------------

Several hours later, and with a smug smiled plastered across his face, Ranger lounged on the bed watching Stephanie toss clothes from the closet.

"Stephanie, I told you it doesn't matter what you wear."

She turned to him, "Yeah right. It's not everyday that I meet your ex-wife."

"True, but she seriously won't care what you're wearing."

"Is she a women?" Steph asked.

"Yes."

"Then she'll care."

"Babe, Eva's not like the typical woman."

"Yeah I know Ranger. You've said it all before, but I can't help being nervous. I'm the outsider here. I'm going to be her daughter's stepmother one day. I prefer to make a good impression. Now leave me alone and let me find something to wear."

Tossing his hands up in defeat, Ranger rolled over onto his back and drifted off to sleep.

---------------------------

The following morning was a blur of activity. While Ranger and Kat went off to the airport to pick up Eva and Daniel, Stephanie roamed around the apartment making sure everything was perfect. She rearranged the pictures on the fireplace mantel a dozen times before settling on an appropriate positioning.

She re-fluffed the pillows on the couch, re-dusted the tables, and after checking the time she slide the cookie dough into the oven.

While checking herself in the mirror one last time she heard Ranger's voice over the intercom.

"Babe? You there?"

"Yup. Did you make it back ok?" Steph replied.

"Yeah, we're on our way up."

"Ok." she said before nearly vomiting from nerves.

When she pulled herself together she returned to the living room and stood before the door, waiting for them to arrive. As she stood there staring at the closed door, Stephanie tried to imagine what Eva would look like.

'_Probably tall, skinny, and drop dead gorgeous_.' she huffed to herself. And just as she was about to chastise herself for being cruel the door flung open.

Ranger was the first one through, followed by Kat, then a tall, muscular man who was undoubtedly Daniel. And last but not least, Eva entered.

"Babe. Meet Daniel and Eva." Ranger said as he slid into place next to Stephanie.

"So nice to meet you Steph. Ranger's told us so much about you." Eva said as she extended her hand.

"Thanks, you too." Was all Stephanie could say in reply. Stephanie shook her hand then stepped back to take in the woman before her. She was nothing as she had pictured her. Instead of being tall, she was short, barely coming up to Steph's shoulders.

Skinny wouldn't describe this woman either. She wasn't fat, but she didn't have a models figure either. Her breasts were large and motherly, her waist was stout and straight and her hips flared into smooth humps above her legs.

Stephanie also imagined that not many people would classify Eva as drop dead gorgeous. That isn't to say she wasn't attractive, because she was. But instead of exuding born bred beauty, Eva's allure seemed to come from within. She held herself with an air of confidence that people would immediately be drawn to. She looked comfortable in her own skin, but more importantly, she moved as if she knew exactly how to use her body.

Eva had beautiful shiny black hair that fell just above her shoulders and a dark, rich complexion that screamed of her Cuban heritage. Her best feature was undoubtedly her smile. It was the type of smile that could make you feel relaxed and comfortable in a matter of seconds.

"My God Ric, what have you done to her. She's simply glowing." Eva said as she held Steph's hands wide to take a look at her.

Stephanie blushed as Ranger pulled her further into his body. "It was nothing of my doing. She glows like this all the time." He answered then gave her a quick kiss on the top of the head.

Pulling away from both Ranger and Eva's touch, Stephanie laughed. "Ok, ok. Enough about me. How was the flight?"

------------------------

Later that evening as Stephanie unhooked her earrings in front of the dresser mirror, Ranger joined her in the bedroom.

"Did you get them settled?" Steph asked.

"For now. Most of their clothes are unpacked so they should be fine until tomorrow." Ranger answered her. He took a few steps closer to her and allowed his hands to slide around to cup her belly. He nipped at her now, bare shoulder as he gently rubbed her stomach. "So what did you think of Eva and Daniel?"

Stephanie laid the last earring on the dresser and turned slowly in Ranger's arms. When she was facing him she let her arms slide up his chest until her hands hooked behind his neck.

"I think they're fabulous. I definitely see why you thought they would be so great together. I noticed that they even have a some sort of silent communication. They seem to know what each other is thinking, just with a single look." Stephanie said.

Ranger kissed and licked her shoulder before slowly moving towards her neck. He stopped only long enough to reply, "Some people say the same thing about us."

Stephanie laughed, "You mean the ESP thing? I think you're the only one in the family with that talent."

Ranger pulled away quickly and locked his eyes with hers. Scared by his sudden change in mood Stephanie asked, "What's wrong?"

"That's the first time you've called us a family babe."

Relaxing again into his arms she sighed, "And it won't be the last."

"Better not be." He said as his lips once again sought out her neck.

It was Stephanie that pushed away the next time. She broke from his embrace and walked towards the bathroom, talking to him as she went. "You know that book I've been reading?"

"The _What to Expect _one?" asked Ranger who was now settling into bed.

"Yeah. Well, I read a real interesting section in it last night."

"You did?" He questioned.

Stephanie flicked off the bathroom light and once again joined Ranger in the bedroom. The bedside lamp was the only light in the room and it shone across his bare chest giving it a golden glow. He tossed back the covers of the bed and made room for her.

"I did. The chapter was about hormonal changes in the 2nd trimester."

When she slid into the bed, Ranger immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her on top of him. "What about them babe?"

Before lowering her lips to his she said, "It appears that during the 2nd trimester some women experience an increase in their sex drives."

Ranger lifted his head and met her lips half way. When he pulled back he said, "Are you one of those women?"

Stephanie smiled and said, "There's only one way to find out."

In one quick move, Ranger rolled them over until he had her pinned beneath him. "Actually babe, I can think of a few more ways than just one." As his wolf grin slide into place, Stephanie's toes instinctively began to curl.

To be Continued…


	20. Ch20 The Talk

This one is a little longer than usual from me. I'm heading on vacation and wanted to give you guys something to remember me by. Lol. Tiina thanks so much for being a

late-nighter like myself and proofing this for me.

And Renee, thanks for always making me feel like what I write is actually good.

And to everyone at You guys are awesome. I read everyone's comments and cherish them completely.

Hope this keeps ya'll satisfied until I return.

-------------------------------------------------------

Ranger rose his head and met her lips half way. When the pulled back he said, "Are you one of those women?"

Stephanie smiled and said, "There's only one way to find out."

In one quick move, Ranger rolled them over until he had her pinned beneath him. "Actually babe, I can think of a few more ways than just one." As his wolf grin slid into place, Stephanie's toes instinctively began to curl.

Chapter 20

The following morning Stephanie rose with a smile. She rolled gently in bed and gazed upon Ranger's sleeping form; one arm tucked behind his head while the other was hanging off the mattress. His dark body lay in stark contrast against the white sheets which tangled around his limbs.

His lips curled slowly as he began to speak, "You're staring babe."

"So?" she countered wondering how he had known she was indeed staring.

With a chuckle he opened his eyes to meet her gaze. "Good morning." He said as he lifted his head slightly to meet her lips.

"Morning Ric. Sleep well?" she teased.

"In fact I did. At least for the 30 minutes you weren't jumping my bones, I did."

"I didn't hear any complaints at the time."

"And you won't hear any in the future either." Ranger moved the hand that was tucked behind his head and let it slowly drift up Stephanie's arm. His hand stopped when his palm cupped her cheek. "I adore you Stephanie."

"The feeling's mutual." She replied.

After a quick peck on her nose Ranger whispered, "What do you have going on today?"

"Nothing until this afternoon. You didn't forget that I have the doctor's appointment today did you?"

Ranger smiled then slide from the bed. "Of course not. Today's the first ultrasound."

"I'm nervous."

"That's normal babe. But don't worry it's not painful and I'll be right beside you holding your hand the entire time."

"You're too good to me." Stephanie told him as he walked into the bathroom.

Talking over his shoulder he replied, "Yeah, well get use to it. Now get up babe, I promised Kat we would have breakfast with her, Eva and Daniel this morning. They should be here any minute."

Breakfast consisted of waffles, eggs and homemade muffins provided by Ella.

"God I've missed her cooking." Eva said as she refilled her coffee cup.

"She does know the way around the kitchen." Stephanie added.

"Yes she does." Eva said.

After everyone had cleaned their plates, gone back for seconds and cleaned them once again they discussed their plans for the day.

"I really need to go shopping for some clothes. I won't be able to fit in these pants for much longer." Stephanie stated.

"Oooo, shopping! That sounds fun. Mind if I tag along?" Eva added.

"Only if you promise to be totally honest with your opinions. If I try on something that makes me look like the Goodyear Blimp you have to tell me."

Eva raised her right hand while she placed her left over her heart. "I do solemnly swear to be brutally honest and I will do everything in my power to prevent you from buying something hideous."

"I think I'll leave the shopping to you two. Want to go see some of the guys today? Tank and Bobby were going to be at the shooting range for awhile this morning." Ranger asked.

"Yeah, that sounds great. I need to get some practice in anyway."

"Daddy! Don't forget you promised to drop me off at Sam's this morning." Kat yelled.

"I didn't forget. We'll drop you off on the way to the range. Are you ready to go?" Ranger asked.

"Yeah, I just need to grab my bathing suit. Sam and I are going to work on our tans today." Kat said as she jumped up from the table. "I'll run downstairs and get it. Be right back."

Eyeing the disapproval in Ranger's face, Eva spoke up. "Ric, you can't keep her a little girl forever."

"I know!" Ranger said sharply.

Stephanie placed a soothing hand on his arm and he immediately began to relax.

"Sorry I yelled. It's just that you're use to seeing her like this. The last time I was with her she was still playing with Barbie Dolls. I feel like I've missed so much."

Eva, "What choice did you have Ric? Kat knows you love her. She knows that you spend as much time with her as you can. Don't beat yourself up over the past. Just make sure you make the most of the present."

Before he could argue, Stephanie agreed. "She's right Ric. Don't waste time fretting over what could have been. Just look forward to all the wonderful time you're going to have with her in the future."

Ranger lifted himself from the chair and grabbed Stephanie's arms raising her with him. He pulled her body into his and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I didn't know I would have both of you ganging up on me. I don't think it's very fair."

Stephanie laughed. "Stop pouting Ranger, it's not a good look for you."

Wanting to shut her up, he grabbed the back of her head and forced her mouth to his. When their tongues touched a moan escaped from them both. Before Kat returned, and before things got out of hand Daniel cleared his throat to break up the necking couple.

Stephanie blushed. "Sorry. I'll go take a shower so we can head out to the mall."

Eva laughed. "No problem. I'll just wait here for you."

When Stephanie turned towards the bedroom, Ranger instinctively followed but was abruptly stopped when Daniel grabbed his arm.

"No way man. I want to get there before the day is over and if I let you follow her into that shower we'll never leave." Daniel explained.

Ranger shook his head then agreed. "Yeah, you're probably right." He clapped Daniel on the back and the pair made their way to the door. As he was pulling it secure behind him, Ranger stuck his head back in and said to Eva, "Take care of her today."

Eva smiled, "Don't worry Ric. I have a feeling she's going to be just fine."

Feeling better, Ranger finished closing the door and went to catch up with Kat and Daniel.

---------------------------

After a much needed cold shower, Stephanie struggled to button her jeans. She sucked in a breath, squirmed on the bed, nearly fell on her head and in the end was still unable to make the snap connect. Resolved not to give up, Stephanie walked through the living room in search of Eva who would hopefully have a safety pin.

She found her standing on the balcony taking in the sights of the city below.

"Any chance you have a safety pin?" Stephanie asked, causing Eva to jump from surprise.

Eva turned towards Stephanie, but refused to meet her eyes. She tried to hide a sniff when she spoke. "I think I have one in my purse."

Stephanie caught the shine in her eyes and grabbed her arm as she walked past. "Eva are you crying? What's wrong? Has something happened?"

Eva stopped in place and waved a hand to dismiss Stephanie's concern. "Oh I feel so silly Steph. One minute I was fine and the next minute I'm a basket case. I've been that way ever since we found out that Daniel was going back to active duty."

Instinctively Stephanie pulled Eva into an embrace. "Shhh. You aren't being silly at all. In fact you're being incredibly strong given the circumstances. I would probably have found a way to drug Ric and hide him in a cave until it was all over."

The thought of anyone hiding Ranger in a cave made Eva laugh. "I'd pay good money to see you try that."

"Nah. I like living way too much to mess with his badass." Stephanie replied.

Eva's laugh came quicker. "Please don't tell me that man is still doing his tough man routine?"

Stephanie smiled, "More than ever. In fact I think he has it trademarked by now."

"He always did enjoy intimidating people."

"It's good to know that some things never change." Stephanie laughed.

"True. But some things do change like the size of your pants. Let's go shopping so you don't have to spend the next four months naked." Eva said as she made her way through the apartment.

-----------------------

Four hours later Eva and Stephanie crammed one last bag into the SUV.

"I can't believe we bought this much." Stephanie sighed.

"Me either. That must have been a record or something for speed shopping." Eva agreed.

Eva and Steph settled into the front of the SUV and sent it in the direction of Rangeman. The women fell quickly in the comfort of friendly chatter. Stephanie couldn't believe how much she enjoyed spending time with Eva. Ranger's ex-wife had turned out to be nothing like what she had expected. But the more and more she got to know her, Stephanie began to see the reasons Ranger had undoubtedly fallen in love with her.

After stowing the bags in the apartment Stephanie suggested they have lunch on the balcony. After a quick call to Ella the two women dug into a delicious homemade soup while looking over the sights of downtown Trenton.

"Can I ask you a question Eva?"

Eva eyed her suspiciously then laughed, "I wondered how long it was going to take you."

"Take me to do what?" Stephanie asked.

"How long it would take you to start asking me questions about Ranger. I'm impressed that you actually waited this long." Eva explained.

"Maybe I wasn't going to ask about Ranger?" Stephanie pouted.

"Uh huh." Eva laughed.

"Ok fine. I was going to ask about Ranger, but do you blame me?" Stephanie laughed as she playfully tossed a napkin across the table.

"Of course not. I would have been asking questions ages ago. So let me have it. What do you want to know?"

"How did you two meet." Stephanie questioned.

"Honestly, I don't remember ever meeting him. I've always just known him. We grew up together. Our families lived in the same neighborhood in Miami. We were the only kids on the street around the same age so it was natural that we became friends. He was the first boy to look up my skirt and I teased him about it all through school." Eva explained.

"So when did you guys go from being buddies to being married?"

"That too sort of happened naturally. When puberty struck we both searched for the familiar. I just remember one day we were playing outside together and all of a sudden I had the urge to kiss him. So I did. Boys are slower than us remember, so he hated it. He acted as if I had just given him the gout. He ran home and didn't talk to me for a week."

Stephanie laughed at the thought of Ranger not liking girls.

"When he finally started talking to me again he had apparently decided the kiss wasn't that bad. So he asked me to do it again. So I did and that was all it took. Our parents let us have our first official date when we were 15. His mom drove us to the movies. We spent the entire time in the back row watching the other couples make out." Eva grew quiet as the memories began to flood back to her.

"I wish you could have known Ric back then. He was so different from the man you know now." Eva continued. "Now, he's this self-confidant, self- assured man but back then he was a gangly little punk. He hit a growth spurt when he was 16 and that made him quickly become the tallest boy in our class. And although he was tall, he was also very skinny. No matter what he ate he couldn't put on any weight. He was scrawny, clumsy and despite what he may say today, he was a dork."

Stephanie laughed too quickly and soda spewed from her mouth. Eva tossed her some napkins then continued with the story.

"He didn't have a lot of friends back then. It was really just me and him. He wasn't the most popular as you may have suspected and he wasn't a great athlete. He did play football our junior year of high school but he spent most of the time on the bench. Back then I thought everything was perfect."

"So what changed?" Stephanie asked.

"We both changed. Him for the better, me for the worse. After high school we immediately got married. Not long after that we moved to New Jersey to attend college. In the beginning it was terrific. We had a crappy little apartment off campus and we could barely make ends meet. But we were both happy. I just wish I could have understood that then.

During our second year of college Ric's body started to change. The once scrawny kid was suddenly filling out to become the man he is today. And for the first time in his life, women were noticing him."

Stephanie gasped. "He cheated on you!"

"I didn't say that. Don't get ahead of me." Eva scolded.

Shutting up, Stephanie took a large sip of soda and leaned back for the rest of the story.

"So suddenly women were taking note of him, but he hardly paid them any attention. Ranger is fiercely loyal so anytime I would comment on the looks he got from women he would brush them off and say that the only comments he was interested in were the ones I made. In the beginning, I enjoyed having other women be jealous of me because of who I was with. But it didn't take long for that to fade.

Things started to really go downhill when I got pregnant. I had a troublesome pregnancy so I was on bed rest most of the time. That meant Ric had to work extra hard to pay the bills and attend school at the same time. He would come home late at night after working double shifts at his job and I would accuse him of cheating on me."

Eva suddenly turned more serious and reached out for Stephanie's hand. "Stephanie if you hear anything I say, hear this. My jealousy is the reason for our divorce. I just couldn't understand how a sexy man like Ric, who had all these women lining up for him would want to come home to me. At first I made my accusations seem like I was teasing, but over time I grew obsessed with the thoughts of him cheating. My self-esteem hit rock bottom. I was constantly accusing Ric of doing things that were simply untrue, while inside I was convincing myself that I wasn't good enough to be with him."

A small tear trickled from Stephanie's eyes as she listened to the pain still in Eva's voice.

"In the short amount of time I've been around you, I've heard you put yourself down a couple of times. Don't do what I did Stephanie. Ranger is with you for one reason, and one reason only. He loves you. Never forget that." Eva reached across the table and placed both of Stephanie's hands into her own. "Always remember that there a lot of women out there that would gladly share their bed with him, but there's only one person he chose to share his with. That's you. Don't waste time questioning why he loves you, simply let him. Embrace his love and embrace him and he'll make you happier than you could ever imagine. Don't be a fool like I was. You're an amazing women you deserve to be with Ric just as much as he deserves to be with you."

Maybe it was the hormones raging through her body, or maybe Eva had struck a nerve, but no matter what the cause Stephanie broke into tears. Eva got up and walked over to her. She placed her arms around Steph's quivering body and did her best to soothe the pregnant women.

When she was finally able to catch her breath Stephanie spoke through the tears. "You've just described my worst fear. Everyday I ask myself why this man is with me. I just keep waiting for him to come to his senses and realize he could have someone so much better than me."

"Nonsense Stephanie. Ranger's not a stupid man. He knows exactly what kind of woman you are. He knows what else is out there but he's made his choice. He chose to be with you, don't push him away because of some silly insecurities on your part."

Stephanie sniffed again and willed the tears to stop. "Eva you'll never know how much I needed you to say these things to me. I thought I was all alone with these thoughts. I never imagined that someone else could have felt the same way."

Eva released her hold of Stephanie and returned to her own chair. "I felt just like that for a long time. So long in fact that it ultimately ruined a perfectly good marriage. I hated myself for what I became. It took me a long time to rebuild my self-confidence. I've finally learned to love myself, faults and all."

"How did you do it?" Stephanie asked.

"Sheer determination. It sounds stupid, but every morning I would tell myself that I was a worthy person. Sometimes that was harder than it sounds. It also helped that I had a wonderful man by my side. Daniel was a godsend. He was my strength when I needed it most. Ric can be that for you if you just let him. I know you want to be independent, but it doesn't make you weak to lean on someone else every now and then."

Stephanie patted her face dry with her napkin. "Dammit Eva, I was really hoping I would hate you."

Eva laughed, "Oh god! I was hoping I would hate you too!"

"So instead of hating each other do you think we can become friends?" Stephanie asked.

"We already have Steph."

-------------------------

An hour and a half before her appointment with the obstetrician Stephanie heard the bathroom door open while she was in the shower.

"Babe?" Ranger asked.

Instead of answering him Stephanie opened the shower door, grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him under the spray.

Her hands were hot and greedy. She needed to touch skin, his skin. She grabbed at his shirt popping the buttons as she moved her way down his chest. She tugged the bottom of it from his pants and finally tossed the torn material over the top of the shower door.

"Steph…" Ranger moaned as she took turns biting one of his bare nipples then the other.

When his brown skin had reddened from her assault she dropped to her knees, unbuckling his pants as she went. His hard cock fought with the zipper of this trousers as it fought for release. When the button was unfastened and the material shifted off his hips, his dick bounced solidly in front of her face.

In one quick move, she grasped his balls in one hand, his shaft in another and sucked the very tip into her mouth. Ranger lost all control of his body. He placed his hands on the sides of the shower as he braced himself to prevent falling. His hips jerked forward and back as Stephanie sucked him deep into her mouth.

His orgasm started slow and deep. He tried with all his might to warn Stephanie. He wanted to stop her, to prevent the sensations from coming to an end. But his voice was weak and her mouth was strong. He dropped one hand to the back of her head and tangled his fingers into her thick curls. With a few shallow thrusts he exploded, filling her mouth with his very essence.

As she willingly accepted his last drop she fell backwards onto her butt. After prying his eyes open, he dropped to the floor beside her.

"Good god Stephanie. What the hell was that?" he panted.

Stephanie smiled, "I just wanted to remind you of how damn lucky you are to have me."

Ranger's head jerked back with laughter. "I would say that's unnecessary, but I don't think I have enough willpower to deny you from doing that again."

Stephanie regained just enough composure to pull herself to her feet. She held out a hand to help Ranger up. "Get up and rinse off, we have to be at the doctor's office in an hour. Then afterwards I believe you owe me some payback."

Ranger rose to his feet and wrapped Stephanie into a giant bear hug. With his face buried in her hair he mumbled, "Don't worry about the payback, you're definitely going to get what's coming to you."

__

To Be Continued…


	21. Chapter 21 Joe's Back

Ranger rose to his feet and wrapped Stephanie into a giant bear hug. With his face buried in her hair he mumbled, "Don't worry about the payback, you're definitely going to get what's coming to you."

Chapter 20

Ranger and Stephanie were busy laughing as they walked hand-in-hand across the parking lot of the doctor's office. Stephanie gripped the ultrasound picture in one hand and Ranger's hand in the other. As she giggled over the details of the photo, Ranger's never passive eyes scanned the lot for trouble. And this time, trouble was exactly what he found. As he held the truck door open for Stephanie, Ranger caught sight of a familiar face. Halfway across the lot, nearly hidden by the shade of a nearby tree sat the familiar Tacoma truck of Joseph Morelli. Ranger tensed, but regained his composure before he slid into place next Stephanie.

Slowly Ranger steered the truck onto the highway. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he spotted the Tacoma maneuvering into the same lane a few cars back. Morelli didn't make any sudden movements, instead he remained patiently in line, waiting for his turn.

"Can we stop by mom and dads?" Stephanie asked, bringing Ranger out of his momentary trance.

"Sure babe." He said as he glanced at her then back to the rearview mirror.

Two blocks from Stephanie's parent's house, Joe made his move. As Ranger slowed the truck for a stop sign he noticed Morelli flash his headlights before turning down a street a few blocks back. Ranger immediately responded by taking out his cell phone and punching in a text message.

__

'Pino's in 5'. Was all he needed to say.

"Something wrong?" Stephanie questioned as she eyed Ranger's cell phone.

Ranger reached over and gently stroked her hair as he pulled the truck to a stop in front of her parents house. "Nope, just something I need to take care of. Can I drop you off and meet you back in 15?"

"Sure Ric. I'm sure mom will still be Ooh'ing and Ahh'ing over the ultrasound when you get back." And with a quick kiss to his cheek she slide out the door.

Ranger sighed as he watched her make the lone walk toward the house. When she was safely inside, he tossed a wave to Frank and once again set the vehicle in motion.

-----------------------

Joe was leaning against the door of his truck when Ranger pulled into Pino's parking lot.

"Manaso."

"Morelli."

"Want to do this here or inside?" Joe asked.

"Inside, I could use a beer." Ranger answered.

"Fair enough." Joe said as he made his way into Pino's.

All eyes turned as the two men made their way to the back of the resturant. Ranger sat down with a smirk. "I think their waiting to see who punches who first."

Joe smiled, "You planning on hitting me?"

Ranger shifted his eyes to the man across the table, "That depends on why you wanted to talk to me."

Joe's smile widened. "I guess that's reasonable."

After ordering a couple of beers from the waitress, Ranger leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, waiting for Joe to get started.

"You aren't going to make this easy for me are you?" Joe said as he watched Ranger strike a defensive pose.

"Do you know of any reasons why I should?" Ranger countered.

Joe took a long swig of beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Nope, no reason. Hell, I'm surprised you even agreed to meet me."

Ranger sipped his beer as well. "I guess you could say I was curious. If you had wanted to talk to Steph you would have made sure she saw you today, but you didn't. I assumed that meant you wanted to talk to me alone."

"You assumed correctly." Joe paused to take another gulp of beer. "You've got to understand this isn't easy for me."

"What exactly isn't easy for you?" Ranger asked.

Joe laughed. "Doing the last thing I ever thought I'd have to do… ask you for help."

-------------------

"What's the matter with you?" Stephanie said to a pacing Ranger.

"Nothing, why do you ask?" Ranger answered while slyly falling into place on the couch.

"Because you've done nothing but pace since we got home. Plus I didn't think you would ever shut up at mom and dads."

"Don't you want me to talk to your parents babe?" Ranger teased.

Stephanie crossed her arms and stood brazenly in front of him. "Don't get cute with me. You're up to something, I just know it. "

Ranger sighed deeply then tried to answer. "I guess I should explain before it's too late."

"To late for what?" Stephanie asked.

Just as Ranger was about to tell her the doorbell chimed. Ranger ran his hands through his hair then turned to make his way to the door. He shouted his response across his shoulder as he gripped the handle. "Too late to explain why he's here." Ranger said as he opened the door to reveal Joe.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Stephanie yelled at the sight of her ex-husband.

Joe looked at Ranger for help. "Don't look at me pal, this was your idea." Ranger said as he clapped Joe on the back.

"Um. Steph, sorry to surprise you like this. I figured someone would have warned you I was stopping by." Joe said as he shot a stinging glance toward Ranger.

Stephanie frowned and crossed her arms. "You knew he was coming here Ric?"

"Steph sit down." Ranger said as he made his way to her.

"Sit down? Sit down? First you invite Joe over here and now you're telling me what to do?" Stephanie screamed.

Ranger sighed then fell onto the couch. "It was just a thought babe. Feel free to keep standing all day if that's what your heart desires."

"Hormones?" Joe asked Ranger, ignoring the glare from Stephanie.

"They've really done a number on me. One minute she's fine and the next minute she's…." Ranger pointed in Steph's direction as if to explain what he couldn't put into words.

Stephanie stood before them dumbfounded. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on? And so help me God if the explanation even remotely mentions my hormones both of you will be kicked out of this apartment faster than you can say Tastycake."

Joe sat down in a side chair across from Ranger and tried to explain. "I asked Ranger if I could come by and talk to you today."

"And you felt you needed his permission why?" Stephanie asked.

Joe sighed, "Come on Steph, be serious. The odds of me walking in _and _back out of this building without prior permission is pretty slim."

Satisfied with his answer, Stephanie flopped onto the couch next to Ranger.

"I also explained to Ranger earlier today what I wanted to discuss with you so you can rest assured that I'm doing nothing underhanded."

"True." Ranger added.

"Enough hub-bubbing, get to the point Joe." Steph said.

"Sheesh, you aren't going to make this easy either are you?" Joe laughed then fought to turn serious. "While you were gone I did a lot of thinking and I think I might even have grown up a bit too."

Stephanie snorted.

"Yeah I know, it's not easy to believe." Joe agreed. "But while you were gone I started to really miss you. And before you say anything, I'm not trying to win you back or anything crazy like that. I've accepted that you are with Ranger now."

"Who are you and what have you done with Joseph Morelli?" Stephanie interrupted.

"Believe it or not, it's really me Steph. After you left it finally hit me that I'm going to be a father." Joe stared at her bulging belly. "It also hit me just how much I fucked everything up. If it wasn't for me and my stupidity we would still be married and preparing to raise our child together. Instead I screwed up the best thing that ever happened to me. Now, I'm just asking for a chance to make up for at least some of what I broke."

"How Joe? I don't need you to fix anything. I'm perfectly fine." Stephanie said then gripped Ranger's knee and gave him a quick squeeze.

"I know you're fine but I'm not. My father was a bum. I've spent my entire life trying to prove that I'm a better man than he was, but lately I've not even come close." Joe slide forward in the chair so he could lean closer to Stephanie. "I need to make things right with us, for the sake of my sanity but more importantly for the sake of this child. I want to be a part of his or her life. I know it's asking a lot from you. I know it means that in some ways you will have to accept me back in your life, but I'm here begging you Stephanie. Please don't keep me out of my own child's life."

If it hadn't been for the pleading look in his eyes, Stephanie might have laughed. "Joe! Do you seriously believe I would keep your own kid from you?"

"Well the thought did cross my mind. I was an ass to you before." Joe explained.

"Well, just because you're an ass doesn't mean I'm going to be one too." Stephanie leaned forward and took Joe's hand in hers. "I did a lot of thinking too while I was gone. You have a right to be in this baby's life and I would never try to prevent that from happening. I'm not sure how this will work, but between the three of us we will get through it." When she finished speaking she glanced at Ranger to make sure he knew he was the third she spoke of.

"Thank you Steph. Thank you for making this so easy on me. You could have kicked my ass for days about this." Joe smiled.

"Oh, I will still probably do that." Stephanie returned the grin.

"I want to go to the doctor's with you." Joe stated flatly.

"That can be arranged but you have to understand that Ranger will be there as well. He's going to be my husband and he will be with me throughout all of this."

"Like I said earlier, I accept that you and him are together. I've made a lot of mistakes and I'm trying really hard to make up for them."

"If anyone can, it's you Joe. And by the way, you are already a better man than your father." Stephanie said.

Joe's face softened as he listened to her words. "Thanks. You don't know what it means to hear you say that."

Suddenly Ranger rose from the couch and disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later he returned carrying several sheets of paper. He stopped directly in front of Joe and shoved them in his direction. "Here are the dates of all of her doctor appointments up until a month before her due date. At that time, she'll start going weekly so we'll get you those dates and times when we have them." Ranger shifted the pages to the next sheet. "This is a schedule of the Lamaze classes. I'll speak to the instructor and ensure there won't be any problems with both of us attending. And this last sheet is a list of baby names Stephanie has been throwing around."

Joe grabbed the papers and immediately began reading them. Stephanie appeared to be shell-shocked.

Ranger smiled at her expression, and reading her mind he answered her thoughts. "Every time you mentioned a name you liked I put it in my phone. The night before last I transcribed all those notes into a formal list. I grabbed the schedule from the waiting room at the doctor's office and the nurse gave me a list of your appointments when we left today."

"Smartass." Stephanie whined. Outwardly, she called him names but inside she was counting her blessing that he had come into her life.

Joe gathered up the papers, hugged Stephanie then shook hands with Ranger as he headed out the door.

"Was that really Joe?" Stephanie questioned once he left.

Ranger laughed while he wrapped his arms around her. With his head leaning on her shoulder he whispered, "It really was."

Stephanie turned in his arms until she was facing him. "Thank you." She said before placing feather-light kisses across his neck.

"For what?" He asked.

"For being you. And for taking care of me and for not beating up my ex-husband."

Ranger tilted his head back and laughed. "Anytime babe but as much as I'd like to keep discussing this, I believe I owe you some payback."

Stephanie shivered in his arms, took a deep breath, then prepared to get exactly what she deserved.

__

To Be Continued…


	22. Chapter 22

Ranger tilted his head back and laughed. "Anytime babe but as much as I'd like to keep discussing this, I believe I owe you some payback."

Stephanie shivered in his arms, took a deep breath, then prepared to get exactly what she deserved.

Chapter 22

_3 Weeks Before Stephanie's Due Date…_

"Move it Stephanie. We're going to be late." Joseph Morelli yelled from the living room of Stephanie's apartment. 

Moments later a very pregnant and very moody Stephanie Plum waddled from the bedroom. Ranger, with her shoes in tow, followed behind her.

"Keep your pants on Joe. I'm moving as fast as I can." she grumbled.

"How is she?" Joe said as he flashed Ranger a smile.

"Long night." Ranger replied revealing a note of exhaustion in his voice.

"I can hear you." Stephanie complained. "I'm pregnant, not deaf. Now which one of you wise guys are going to help me with my shoes?"

Beating Ranger to the punch, Joe spoke up. "I'll go start the car." He said as he swept from the room.

"Chicken." Ranger mumbled.

"I've not been that bad have I?" whined Stephanie.

"Babe." Was Ranger's only reply as he dropped to his knees to tie her shoes.

Thirty minutes later, with Ranger holding one hand and Joe holding the other, Stephanie watched the baby inside of her squirm as the doctor preformed the ultrasound.

"Last chance to find out the sex before the big day?" The doctor asked the three faces smiling back at her.

Stephanie looked from Ranger, to Joe then back to Ranger. "No. We'll wait." She answered.

"Very well." The doctor said as she began putting away the equipment. When she was finished she took a seat on a nearby stool and began looking over Stephanie's file.

"Ok, Stephanie. I have a few details to go over with you." She glanced at the file once again. "All of your tests look normal. Your blood pressure looks good and I have no reason to think you won't have anything but a smooth labor. But since we're getting close to your due date I'd like to see you ever other day for one more week. Then every day after that until the baby is born."

"And that's normal?" Stephanie asked.

"Completely normal. Everything looks terrific Stephanie. You've had a very healthy pregnancy and I don't foresee in any major problems during the delivery." The doctor explained.

"Thank god." Stephanie replied.

The doctor gave her a reassuring wink before continuing. "Did you finish your Lamaze classes?"

"Yeah, last night was our last one."

"Good. Keep practicing your breathing and it'll come naturally once your labor begins. Now during these last couple of weeks I want you to take it easy. Sleep late, lounge around on the couch and just try to get as much rest as you possibly can. Trust me, you'll thank me once the baby arrives. Now if you don't have any questions for me I would like to speak to Stephanie alone for a moment."

Joe and Ranger both exchanged glances. Stephanie spoke up before either of them could argue. "That will be fine doctor. You guys go wait for me in the lobby."

Joe and Ranger shrugged, smiled to the doctor and not-so-happily headed towards the waiting room.

"Is everything ok?" Stephanie asked, suddenly frightened.

The doctor dropped a hand to Steph's knee. "Oh yes. Everything is fine. I just wanted to discuss something with you without… the boys."

Stephanie laughed. "Alright."

"Now Stephanie, I'm talking to you now more as a friend than as a doctor. We go way back, all the way to elementary school if my memory serves me. So I hope you understand that I'm only thinking of your well-being."

"Ok." Stephanie said, trying to hide her confusion.

"This is about Joe and Ranger. I know they've been great sports through all the doctor visits. They've kept it civil while here and that's great. I've even heard some of the nurses at the hospital talking about both of them accompanying you to the Lamaze classes."

"That's true. They did."

"And I think that's great. But I want you to make sure you want them both in the delivery room with you. I know you have requested it but I just want to make sure that's the best decision for you and your baby. Things can get intense in there once the action starts and I'm going to need you to be 100 focused. So if there's any chance they could disrupt things then you might want to reconsider it." The doctor explained.

Stephanie blew out a breath before she spoke. "Five months ago if someone had told me I would have wanted both Ranger and Joe to be there with me I would have called them crazy. But they've changed. Hell, even I've changed. But if it makes you feel better, I give you permission to kick them both out at the first sign of trouble."

The doctor laughed then gave Stephanie a hug. "I just wanted to make sure you were sure about this."

Stephanie hugged back. "I've never been more sure about anything."

As the doctor helped her off the examining table she smiled at her old friend. "Stephanie, one last thing. I don't know what that Manaso guy has done to you, but you sure look happy."

Stephanie beamed back. "I am happy." And just before she walked through the door she turned back and said, "And yes Dr. Ayers. He really is as good as they say."

And Stephanie joined Joe and Ranger in the lobby they could hear the shouts coming from the examining room. "You go girl!"

As Joe neared the Rangeman garage, Ranger keyed the gates open.

"I'll just drop you guys off at the door." Joe said.

Ranger smiled at Stephanie then replied. "If you've got some time, we were hoping you would come up and have lunch with us."

Joe tried to cover his surprise but failed. "Um. Sure, that'd be great." He said.

They rode up the elevator in silence. As soon as they entered the apartment, Stephanie flopped on the couch and Ranger grabbed the phone to call Ella."

"Hi. Lunch for three please."

"Well don't just stand there Joe. Sit down." Stephanie said as she lifted her legs to allow a space for Ranger to join her on the couch. And when he did he placed her feet in his lap and began working his magic on her aching, swollen toes."

Joe took a seat in a nearby chair and watched their comfortable interaction. It still wasn't easy for him to watch the ease of their relationship but these past few months had lessened the pain slightly. He could see that Ranger made her happy, and now as her ex-husband, that's all he could hope for.

The sound of Stephanie's voice brought him out of his daze. "Joe, Ranger has something he'd like to ask you. Just do me a favor and hear him about before you make your decision."

"Ok." Joe said uneasily.

Ranger continued to massage Steph's feet as he started to talk. "Steph and I have been talking a lot about family lately. Having Eva and Kat staying here while Daniel is away has shown me how important it is for kids to have both parents around. I've missed so much of Kat's life and I know I don't want to miss anymore. I don't want to see the same mistakes to be made with this baby." Ranger said as he moved his hands to cup Steph's belly.

Suddenly everything seemed clear to Joe. He jumped out of the chair in a fit of anger and yelled, "I am NOT letting you take my child from me!"

Ranger and Stephanie froze from the shock of Joe's outburst.

"I won't let you adopt my child. I won't let you keep him from me!" Joe screamed.

"What the hell are you talking about Joe?" Stephanie yelled in turn.

Joe threw his arms in the direction of Ranger. "This! I'm talking about this! Do you think I don't see what you're doing here? Talking about how children need both parents. You're going to try and get me to hand over the rights to my child to Ranger. Well, I'm not going to do it."

Stephanie put her hands on her hips, walked towards Joe until she stood toe to toe with him and proceeded to rip him a new one. "For your information Joe, Ranger was doing nothing of the kind. What hewas going to do was offer you an apartment in the building so you could be closer to us when the baby is born." Stephanie poked a finger in Joe's chest before she continued. "He was also going to give you a pager so we can get in touch with you when I go into labor." She poked him once more. "And finally, I was going to try to persuade you to ask my doctor on a date since it's so obvious she has goo-goo eyes for you."

Joe stood there stunned as Stephanie rattled off the list to him. And when she was finished the only thing he could say was, "Huh?" And after a few deep breathes he was able to add, "You were going to give me an apartment?"

The corner of Ranger's mouth turned and he tried to fight back a laugh. "I know it sounds crazy. Everyone use to think I was such a hard-ass but now I just keep giving people shit."

Joe swallowed his pride and flopped back into the chair. "Jesus. I don't know what to say. You're really not going to try and take my child from me?"

Stephanie stepped to Joe once again but inside of smacking him like he deserved, she shocked everyone in the room by laying her hand in his. "Did you really think that after all this time of letting you go to the doctor and Lamaze classes that we'd really do that to you?"

Joe dropped his head then said, "It's nothing I don't deserve cupcake. I was shit to you."

"Yeah you were Joe. But that doesn't mean I can't forgive you. You're not the same man you were a year ago."

Joe laughed. "Thank god for that."

Ranger snorted then walked to the kitchen counter where he retrieved an envelope. When he returned to the living room he handed it over to Joe.

"Like she said, there's a pager in there, keys to an apartment one floor down and an additional key fob that will let you access the rest of the building including the parking garage."

Joe took the envelop and stared at Ranger as if he had never seen him before. "I don't know what to say."

Ranger gave him a hearty swat on the back. "You don't need to say anything. It will be payment enough to be able to call you to come up and do the 4am diaper change."

Joe suddenly went pale. "I figured Stephanie would take care of that."

Stephanie laughed. "Yeah right buddy. You want to be in this baby's life, then that means you have to take the good times with the shitty times. No pun intended."

"I need a drink." Was the last thing said before Ella arrived with their lunch.

Later that evening Ranger and Stephanie sat on the balcony overlooking Trenton. The sun was setting in the sky and smeared bright pink clouds all across the horizon.

"Can I ask you something?" Stephanie said as she rolled her head over to look at Ranger lounging in the chair beside of her.

He didn't drop the book he was reading as he replied. "No babe. I've decided you talk to much and I will no longer answer your meaningless questions."

"Har-har.. Funny man." Stephanie said as she threw a pillow at his head.

He lowered the book as he jerked his head back to avoid the pillow. "What is it babe?"

"Are you happy?"

His eyebrows pitched forward when he realized she was being serious. He placed the book on the table between them and swung his legs over to the side of the lounge chair. "Of course I'm happy. What would make you ask?"

Stephanie rolled her head back to the side and gazed at the fading sunset as she spoke. "You've given up a lot to be with me. You're life as done a 360 in the last year. I just don't want you to have any regrets."

Ranger stood up, walked to her, and nudged her shoulder with his knee. She leaned forward, giving him room to slide in behind her. With his legs on either side of her, she leaned her body against his chest and snuggled into the warmth of his body heat.

He placed a light kiss on her shoulder just before he whispered into her ear. "No regrets, no doubts, and no desires to change one thing about our life. Yeah it's changed a lot in the past year, but I wouldn't want it any other way."

Stephanie shifted so she could look into his eyes. "But what about Rangeman? It use to mean everything to you and now you hardly work a full week."

"Babe, it meant everything to mean when I thought I had nothing else to live for. Now, I know better."

They remained wrapped in each other's comfort as the night faded to black. When he heard her breathing slow he gently nudged her awake and guided her into the bedroom. Then he began working on a plan that would ensure she would never again doubt what it was that he treasured most.

_To Be Continued…_

_Only one more chapter to go….._


	23. Chapter 23

They remained wrapped in each other's comfort as the night faded to black. When he heard her breathing slow he gently nudged her awake and guided her into the bedroom. Then he began working on a plan that would ensure she would never again doubt what it was that he treasured most.

Chapter 23

_6 days, 8 hours, and 37 minutes passed Stephanie's due date._

"I'm never going to have this babe." Stephanie whined. 

"She's just not ready to come out yet." Ranger said as he laid on the bed with his ear to her stomach.

"Weren't you saying just yesterday that it was a boy?"

"Yeah, but today I'm definitely getting the girl vibe."

"Well what about a coming out vibe? Or a I'm ready to meet the world vibe?"

Ranger laughed then leaned up and placed a kiss on Stephanie's forehead. "Don't worry about it babe. She'll come out when she's good and ready."

Stephanie frowned, "Well what about me? I'm ready."

Ranger let his hand roam across her belly and move slowly toward her chest. When he stopped it on her breast to cup it and squeeze her nipple between his fingers he said, "You know. That baby book said that sometimes really great sex can kick start a woman's labor."

Stephanie bit her bottom lip as he worked her nipple into a hard, sensitive nub. "Is that a fact? Well do you think we should give the book a run for it's money and see if that's true?"

"I don't see what it would hurt." Ranger laughed as they both slid further down the bed.

Four hours later, Stephanie was stirred from sleep by a slow rumbling in her belly. She immediately wrote it off as hunger pangs and decided to ignore it. She rolled out of bed as gently as a pregnant woman in her ninth month could and scurried off to the bathroom. By her calculations it was her 26th time peeing that day.

On her way back to the bedroom she paused at the bedroom door and stared at Ranger's sleeping form. His breathing was slow and shallow and the slight smile on his face made him appear almost angelic. Feeling another kind of twinge, Stephanie decided it was time to wake him up and give that great sex theory one more shot.

But before she could say anything her water broke. At first she just froze. But as the words of the baby book slowly crept back into her head she spoke Ranger's name to wake him up.

"Ranger." She said as she remained standing in the puddle of water.

He didn't move.

"Ranger." She said a little louder.

He mumbled something incoherent then rolled over to his side.

"Shit." Stephanie said then reached behind her and grabbed a bar of soap laying on the bathroom cabinet. She chucked it towards the bed and successfully thumped it across Ranger's forehead.

Instinctively he bolted up right in bed. "Babe." He said as he blinked out her form with his still half asleep eyes.

"It's time Ranger."

"Ok." He said then flopped back down on the bed. Ten seconds later he sat up again. "Did you say it was time?"

Stephanie smiled. "Yeah. It's time Ric. My water just broke."

Ranger jumped out of bed and immediately became a blur of activity. He grabbed her pre-packed bag out of the closet and started to dig through the dresser drawer for clothes to help her get dressed. But before he found anything, Stephanie doubled over as the first real contraction hit.

Ranger rushed to her side as she moaned in pain. "Jesus!" She said. "No body said it would be that bad. That's worse than the time I was shot."

"Babe, you were only grazed." Ranger noted.

Stephanie sent him a look that had him running around the room once again. When she was again steady on her feet he leapt across the bed and hit the intercom. "Code pink, code pink! This is not a drill! I repeat, code pink this is not a drill!" He yelled.

Stephanie sat on the bed and watched as he randomly pulled clothes out of the drawers. "Who did you just call? And what is code pink?"

"Everybody."

Stephanie frowned. "What do you mean everybody?"

"Everybody as in the whole building and code pink is the code to let them know you're in labor."

Grabbing the clothes he had tossed her way, she began to dress. "Why would you wake up the entire building?"

Ranger sighed. "Can't you get dressed any faster babe? And I woke them up because they all have jobs to do."

"You gave them jobs for when I go into labor? What kind of jobs?" she asked.

"Tank's job is to make all the calls, the doctor then Joe, your family, then friends, all down the list in order of importance. Hal and Bobby are checking road conditions and mapping out the best route according to traffic reports. Lester should be downstairs getting the car ready." He paused as he heard their front door open and close. "And that should be Eva and Kat coming to help us here."

And as if on cue, Ranger's ex-wife and daughter paused at the bedroom door.

"Ewwww daddy." Kat squealed as she turned to head back into the living room.

"It's ok baby. Giving birth is natural. She's too old to be grossed out by this Eva." Ranger said harshly.

Eva crossed her arms and said, "That's true. But she's not too old to be grossed out by seeing her daddy naked as the day he was born."

"Huh?" Ranger said before looking down and realizing he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. "Shit."

Stephanie laughed as Eva grabbed her arm and guided her into the living room. "Glad to see you're calm Steph. We'll just go in here so he can get dressed."

Within a minute later, Ranger rejoined Stephanie, Eva and Kat in the living room. And this time he was dressed.

"What's that on your forehead dad?" Kat said as she noticed a long white smear across his skin.

"We don't have time for games, we've got to get Steph to the hospital." Ranger said a few notches too loud before barking into a walkie-talkie. "Status."

Tank's voice was heard first. "All calls have been made and essential civilians are now in route via Rangeman transportation to hospital."

Lester was next. "Car is gassed, ready and waiting at the elevator doors in garage. Route has been mapped and Hal is programming it into the GSP as we speak."

"Good. Stand by for further instructions." Ranger said before shooing everyone out the door.

As they rushed toward the elevator Stephanie grabbed Ranger's arm. "Aren't you being a little too over-dramatic."

Looking appalled he replied, "There is no such thing as being over-prepared. This is will be the smoothest birth in history thanks to our plans."

Stephanie rolled her eyes and looked at Eva, "Glad it doesn't have thing to do with me." The woman laughed as the elevator slowed to the garage level.

Tank, Hal and Bobby were standing by the open door to the car. They each ushered the birthing party into the vehicle and once secured tapped the roof to signal Lester. Getting the nod, Lester floored the gas and the car speed out of the garage.

Stephanie noted a large, black SUV in front of the car and with a glance realized Tank, Hal and Bobby were in another SUV right behind them.

"Ric I'm not the president. I'm just having a baby."

"That's right and I refuse to let anything hamper that beautiful event."

Kat leaned over and whispered to Eva, "Why is daddy being so weird?"

Eva sent Stephanie a sympathetic smile and said, "Because he's a man and he loves Steph. You'll understand one of these days honey that when a man really loves a woman they start acting kind of dumb."

Ranger sent Eva a glare and tried to ignore their laughter.

Six minutes and 27 seconds later, Lester pulled the vehicle next to the emergency room doors. He jumped from the car and rushed around to grab the door. He held the door firm as he watched the four passengers spill out of the car and head inside.

When the emergency room doors slid open Stephanie didn't try to hide the shock of seeing everyone was already there. The doctor and Joe were waiting with a wheel chair, her parents we smiling and holding a camera. Mary Lou, Lula and Connie were standing to the side holding armfuls of teddy bears.

Before she could speak the doctor order her into the chair and rushed her through a nearby set of curtains.

With Ranger holding one hand and Joe holding her other, Stephanie pushed with all her might. So far she was in her 12th hour of labor and it had finally come down to this… her sheer strength.

"You're doing so good babe." Ranger whispered as he kissed her ear.

"Ok Steph the baby is crowning. Give me two more big pushes." The doctor ordered.

Joe moved around to get a better look as he watched Stephanie push his new baby boy into the world. The room was deathly quiet for the first few seconds, and as if on cue the baby started squealing at the top of its lungs. Joe released Steph's hand and followed the nurses who carried the baby off to get cleaned up.

Ranger kept his eyes on the baby until he felt Stephanie's hand slip from his. When he looked down he knew something was wrong. She was pale, her arm was limp and she didn't appear to be breathing. Suddenly alarms went off as the buzzers blared from the equipment attached to her.

Before he could protest, the doctor was pushing him to the side. Within seconds, one then two other doctors ran into the room, rushing to save Steph's life.

It came to him like brick to the head. Ranger rushed toward the table. He needed to hold her, be near her, anything to keep the events in front of his face from happening.

"Sir, get out of the way so we can do our job." One of the doctors yelled at him.

He ignored the order but only until he realized he was being dragged from the delivery room by Joe.

They burst through the hospital doors, spilling into the waiting room. Joe yelled first. "Tank, give me a hand." He said as he fought with Ranger to keep him from rushing back in.

Tank went behind Ranger and pulled his arms back. "Easy man. What's going on? What's wrong?"

And just like that the entire waiting room surrounded Joe and Ranger asking questions and demanding answers. Joe relayed the events to the group while Ranger remained focused on the door. "I need in there." He said to Tank.

"I know man. But you got to let the doctors do their job first." Tank reassured.

Later, they would all say they had waited for hours on word of her condition but in reality it had only been a matter of minutes. The doctor rushed out the door looking tired and empty.

Ranger lunged toward her. "How is she?"

The doctor lifted her head slowly to reveal a smile, "She's fine. She gave us quiet a scare, but she's going to be fine. She's asking for Batman, in fact she's quiet insistent about it. Does that mean anything to anyone?"

Ranger smiled and said, "Yeah. That means everything to me."

"Don't ever scare me like that again babe." He whispered as he held her hand in the dark hospital room.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

It had been five hours since she had given birth to Joseph Brandon Morelli and the exhaustion was still visible on her face.

"You should get some sleep." Ranger whispered.

Stephanie shook her head from side to side. "I'm ok but you should get out of her and get some rest."

Ranger laughed. "Are you kidding me? I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

Stephanie grabbed his hand and tangled her fingers with his. "Does this mean you still want to marry me?"

Ranger leaned forward and placed a soft kiss across her lips. "Keep asking babe and I'll go find a Justice of the Peace to make it official right now."

Stephanie laughed. "A simple yes would have been enough."

"Babe, nothing is ever simple with you."

She smiled again then tapped a finger against his forehead. "You still have soap smeared on your head."

"Next time, can you find something softer to throw and maybe something that doesn't leave a streak?" he said as he wiped his palm across his forehead.

"I'll think about it." She grinned as she slowly fell asleep.

_Two weeks later…_

While Stephanie took a much needed nap, Ranger rocked baby Brandon to sleep in his arms. Born to be as stubborn as his mother, the child was determined to sleep on his own schedule. Last night he had waken 5 times, screaming at the top of his lungs, but after one look into Stephanie's smiling face he had settled immediately. Good for baby, bad for mommy.

Just as the baby drifted into slumber, Joe slid through the front door. Ranger had decided to give him access to the apartment but only until Steph was completely healed.

"Hey. He asleep?" Joe asked quietly.

"Just. Steph's taking a nap. Did you get any sleep?" Ranger asked knowing he had been up just as much as they had. Joe had insisted on keeping one of the receivers of the baby monitor with him downstairs. He was determined to help out as much as he could and so far he had done just that.

"Yeah a little. You?"

"Not much. Steph's taking a nap now. Are you staying or do you have to work?"

Joe smiled. "Staying. I've got a couple days off."

Handing the baby over to Joe, Ranger gave his new, unlikely friend a pat on the back. "Good. You take care of the baby. I'm going to go take care of Steph."

The light in Joe's eyes got a tad brighter when Ranger handed Brandon off to him. Already he could see the strong Morelli chin in his son's face.

Just before Ranger closed the bedroom door Joe stopped him. "Hey Ranger."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything."

"Just don't do anything to make me regret it." Ranger said as he closed the door.

Joe walked the baby around the living room, stopping in front of the large balcony doors. Using the softest voice he had, he began speaking to his son.

"Ok Brandon, back to where we left off. The Mets are ok, but the Yankees are the real team for us Morelli's…."

_Six Months Later…_

"I can't believe this day is finally here." Mary Lou said as she fluffed the back of Stephanie's hair.

"Well I think I've waited long enough don't you?" Stephanie smiled.

"Definitely." Mary Lou sniffed.

"Don't! Don't you cry! Because if you cry, then I'm going to cry and then I'll be a blubbering mess as I walk down the aisle." Stephanie whined.

Mary Lou sniffed again. "I can't help it… I'm just so happy for you." She said before she started wailing.

"Well be happy for me without crying like an idiot….wait a second… you never cry when you're happy. Unless… Oh my god! You're pregnant again!" Stephanie shouted as she jumped up and grabbed her best friend.

Mary Lou shook her head. "Yes! Dammit. Ever since Lenny saw you naked he won't keep his hands off me."

Stephanie snorted. "Don't you blame it on me because you keep getting knocked up." Stephanie took a step toward Mary Lou and grabbed her hands. "Are you happy Lou?"

Mary Lou's eyes cleared as she looked up at Stephanie. "Deliriously. We're hoping this time it's a girl."

Stephanie pulled her friend into her and hugged. "I couldn't be happier for you. Just think, we'll have kids about a year apart in age. Maybe it will be a girl then they can grow up together, fall in love and get married!"

"You think?" Mary Lou smiled.

"Anything's possible. I mean, just look at me. I'm getting ready to marry Ricardo Manaso."

"Speaking of weddings. We need to finish getting you dressed. You don't want to keep your man waiting. I believe he's already waited for you long enough."

The beach had been decorated perfectly for the occasion. Chairs covered with cream fabric had been lined up in two sections facing the ocean. An archway covered with white, pink and peach roses and greenery stood in place of the alter.

The group that had come together to witness the event was small and intimate. Both Ranger and Stephanie's family were there. Most of the employees of Rangeman were there which pleased all of Stephanie's single friends.

When Stephanie stepped onto the beach the sight before her brought tears to her eyes. Everyone she loved was there to support her. Holding one large, white Magnolia she began her walk down the sandy isle. Ranger was waiting for her beneath the archway looking more handsome than she had ever seen him. He wore cream colored linen pants and a black silky shirt that flowed with the wind. As he stood there, barefoot with his hair tossing in the breeze and his hand outstretched to her, Stephanie knew in that instance her dreams had finally come true.

When she took his hand he pulled her towards him close enough to whisper in her ear. "You look like a goddess."

Stephanie smiled and knew instantly that she had picked out the right dress. It had taken her weeks to find the right one. Something that was casual enough for the beach, but yet would still catch Ranger's attention. And then she walked into that one store and the dress practically begged for her to try it on. It was a pale cream color and fell just around her ankles. The fabric was silky and flowed gently against her tan skin. The front dipped low, plunging down her chest and was secured in place by a single sash that wrapped snuggly around her waist. It was brought together by a single broach that had the word "Babe" inscribed on the back. Only her and Ranger knew what the broach said, just as they were the only ones that knew the pocket watch in his pants read,"Batman."

The ceremony was short by most standards. Ranger and Steph had opted for their own vows since nothing else seemed to fit them. They each took turns proclaiming:

_"Today I give myself to you completely and without limits. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in good times and in bad. When life seems easy and when it seems hard, when our love is simple, and when it is an effort, I promise to always cherish you. These things I give to you today, and forever. You are my life, my love and my best friend. I look forward to growing old with you and spending the rest of my life as your partner."_

As they turned, hand in hand, husband and wife, and walked toward their beautiful Carolina beach home Stephanie found Joe's smiling face in the crowd. He was there, sitting in the front row next to Ranger's sister Celia and proudly holding his baby boy.

A year earlier she would have never imagined the day she would welcome him back into her life. But with Ranger holding her hand and guiding her one step at a time, things had changed. Joe wasn't just a horrible memory of her past. In some weird way her new husband had taught her how to accept and even welcome her old one into their lives.

Joe had moved back into his house but still stopped by their apartment everyday after work to check up on his son. He had even kept little Brandon all by himself a few weekends earlier. Of course, Stephanie had called and worried a dozen times but they both survived it in the end.

And now, she walked back down the aisle with Ranger for the first time as man and wife, knowing that finally everything was right in her life.

The celebration went late into the night. Large round tables had joined the chairs on the beach and several bonfires were lit as night fell upon the party.

Music blasted from large speakers hidden somewhere near the dunes.

Stephanie and Ranger shared their first dance, the split off and danced with their families. Stephanie's heart did a little flip as she watched Ranger lean forward to dance with Kat.

After dinner had been served Ranger and Stephanie watched the couples twirl in the sand. Eva and Daniel, who had returned a month earlier, danced as if they were on their first date. Mary Lou and Lenny held hands and whispered in each other's ears as they kept their good news a secret a little while longer.

And when Ranger spotted his baby sister Celia dancing with Joe he stiffened and then turned to Stephanie. "Is that a good idea?"

Stephanie laughed when she spotted the cause of his concern. "Does it matter what we think? How many people thought you and I were a good idea?"

Ranger frowned then said. "I'll let it go for now, but just because I'm too excited about getting to play Roman Warrior with you later." He fingered the shoulder strap on her dress and added, "If I haven't told you, I really like this dress babe."

Stephanie laughed then kissed her husband for all it was worth.

_Two years later…_

"You're doing so good babe." Ranger again whispered into his wife's ear.

"Ok Stephanie, give me one more big push." The doctor ordered.

And once again, Stephanie pushed with all her strength. Seconds later the baby's screams filled the room. This time, Ranger kept his eyes and hands on his wife to insure she remained with him, and this time she did. The only thing that parted their touch was the nurse laying the beautiful baby girl on her chest. Ranger stared down at his wife and his new baby and felt his heart fill almost to the point of bursting.

After he was sure that both baby and mom were perfectly healthy he headed out to the waiting area to share the news.

"It's a girl! Her name is Julianna Elizabeth Manaso!" He shouted to the friends and family that had gathered in the waiting room.

It was his sister Celia that stepped up first to offer congratulations. And when they pulled apart from their hug she asked, "Are you deliriously happy right now Carlos?"

He held her hand and smiled. "Yes, happier than I've ever been."

She sighed a breath of relief then added, "Good, now remember that." She turned back and waved someone forward. Slowly, the crowd parted and Joe stepped up, stopping beside Celia. "Joe and I are getting married. Congratulations on the baby!"

Ranger froze in place from shock. Then coming to his senses he pointed to Joe and said. "Remind me to kill you when I'm not in such a good mood."

Joe winked at him and said, "Sure thing pal. Now go take Brandon to see his mom and new baby sister."

_Five months later…_

Ranger rocked his baby girl gently in his arms. As ceremonies go, this one was lasting forever he thought as he eyed Celia and the man she was about to call her husband.

Somehow Stephanie had managed to keep him from killing Joe Morelli and even stranger, she had convinced him to attend the wedding.

Of course he noted sourly that it wasn't as perfect as their wedding, nor was it as meaningful. But with a punch to the ribs from his wife he offered the married couple his blessings at the reception.

"See this wasn't so bad." Stephanie said as she enjoyed a dance with her husband.

"She's my baby sister." He whined.

"That's true Ric, but she's not a little girl. At some point you have to let them grow up and make their own decisions."

"I suppose." He said as he stared into her eyes.

Stephanie laughed, "If you're this bad just because Celia got married I'm going to hate to see you on Julie's wedding day."

Ranger paled several shades then said, "Over my dead body. Nobody's taking my baby girl."

Stephanie laughed louder then pulled Ranger into a deep kiss. As they parted she said, "I love your crazy ass Ricardo Manaso."

Melting into her, he squeezed back and replied, "It's a good thing babe because you're stuck with me for a long time to come."

__

The End


End file.
